Neil MacGregor has announced that he will step down as director of the British Museum at the end of the year.

MacGregor, who has led the museum since August 2002, has decided to retire from full time employment and instead embark on a number of different projects. He will work with the BBC on a new Radio 4 series on Faith and Society, and chair an advisory board to make recommendations to the German Minister of Culture on Berlin’s collections. He will also be working in Mumbai on the presentation of world cultures with the CSMVS Museum.

MacGregor said: “It's a very difficult thing to leave the British Museum. Working with this collection and above all with the colleagues here has been the greatest privilege of my professional life. But I've decided that now is the time to retire from full-time employment and the end of this year seems a good time to go.

“The new building has been completed, so we at last have proper exhibition space, new conservation and scientific facilities, and first class accommodation for our growing research activities. We have built strong partnerships with fellow museums across the UK, and are rapidly expanding our programme of loans and training around the world.”

Prior to working for the British Museum, MacGregor spent 15 years as director of the National Gallery.

The Museum is starting the process of recruiting for a replacement.

Sir Richard Lambert, chair of the British Museum, said: “Neil MacGregor has been an outstanding director of the British Museum and has made an extraordinary contribution to public life in the UK and beyond.

“The trustees are hugely grateful for everything he has done to bring the collection to life, and to tell its many different stories. We respect his decision to move on, and want to support him in his new projects.”