21 February 2025

By Tim Koch

Tim Koch on the latest news from Henley’s River and Rowing Museum (RRM).

On 19 February, Leander Club announced:

Leander Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Steve O’Connor as the club’s new general manager. Steve is taking over from Al Heathcote and will start at the club in May. 

Steve is currently the director of the River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames where he has been instrumental in transforming what the museum has to offer the town. Prior to that, Steve ran Fulham Reach Boat Club in London where he developed a thriving and busy community club almost from nothing. 

Steve is currently a member of Leander Club and has a background in marketing and sales, working for major international companies.

Although Steve has been the Director of the River and Rowing Museum for only eighteen months, a statement from the museum acknowledged his contribution to the place in that short time: 

Steve… has led the charity through a period of renewal, which has seen the museum develop closer links with the Henley community as well as finalise the major building works and the transformation of underutilised spaces into revenue-generating assets.

While Steve’s reasons for moving are understandable (he called the Leander job “a once in a lifetime opportunity… one I feel compelled to take…”) Leander Club’s gain must be a big loss to the River and Rowing Museum.

Steve was only the second RRM Director not to have a museum background. Shortly after his appointment as museum head, he called it “a great opportunity and a big challenge” and identified the four themes that would mark his tenure: getting the RRM into the centre of the community; re-imagining the museum galleries; entering the debate about the health of the river, climate change and ecology; emphasising the RRM’s role as an education charity. 

The RRM’s financial viability has not been strong since it opened in 1998, and the last few years have been particularly testing. There were long-term closures caused by the pandemic and then by urgent roof repairs. Further, the ten years 2013 to 2023 saw several changes of directors, all serving short terms. However, in April 2024 Steve told the Henley Standard, “Over the next three years we should reach break-even.”

The museum stated that it will announce its next steps shortly.