The chief executive of the Horniman Museum will step down after 20 years next Spring.

Janet Vitmayer CBE will leave her position at the Forest Hill museum in March 2018, she announced this week.

She will retire from the post she has held since 1998, but will continue to be active in the sector including retaining her trusteeships at the Hunterian Collection and the Florence Nightingale Museum.

Ms Vitmayer said: "It has been a privilege to work at the Horniman among its world class collections and alongside such passionate and dedicated staff, volunteers and partners.

"Although I will be leaving at an incredibly exciting time, with two new galleries on the horizon and a record number of visitors, I feel that it is time to hand over to a new director to guide the Horniman through the next chapter in its history."

In her 20 years at the helm of the Horniman, Ms Vitmayer led a series of successful capital developments and fundraising campaigns, resulting in the transformation of its galleries, buildings and Gardens, and an increase in visitor numbers of over 300%.

Her final development project for the Horniman will see the opening of a new World Gallery in Spring next year and a new sudio space later next year. Ms Vitmayer leaves the organisation with funding awarded for the next five years as one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations, and with ongoing core funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as an arm’s length body.

The Board of Trustees of the Horniman, headed by Eve Salomon, has appointed Odgers Berndtson to help recruit a successor.