The chief executive of the National Trust for Scotland, Kate Mavor, has been appointed as the head of the charitable arm of English Heritage.

Mavor, who has been the chief executive of the National Trust for Scotland since 2009, is moving to English Heritage ahead of its separation into two different organisations in April 2015.

Mavor will become chief executive of the charity side, which will retain the name English Heritage and look after the National Heritage Collection of more than 400 historic sites.

The second organisation, Historic England, will be a government service which will champion England’s wider heritage.

Mavor said: "It is a privilege to lead English Heritage on the first stage of its new journey as a charity. English Heritage looks after sites where significant moments in history happened. Individually and collectively these precious places tell a remarkable story.  I look forward to building on the great successes of my predecessors."

Previous to joining the National Trust for Scotland, Mavor was chief executive of youth volunteering programme Project Scotland.

Simon Thurley, English Heritage's current chief executive, will step down when the organisation separates. Thurley, who has held his current role for 13 years, will take up a Senior Research Fellowship at the Institute of Historical Research. The new chief executive of Historic England will be announced in the spring.

The search for a new chief executive of the National Trust for Scotland has begun, and if necessary a interim chief executive will be appointed if Mavor’s successor has not been appointed or cannot take up the post at the time of her departure.

Sir Tim Laurence, chair of the English Heritage, said: “I am delighted that Kate will be joining us as our chief executive, bringing a wealth of experience from within and outside the heritage sector.  This is an exciting moment in the history of the organisation as we become a charity. Years of planning and success have brought us to this point.”