Andy Heald MA (Hons) PhD FSA Scot MCIFA
Managing Director (Director)
Andy is AOC's Managing Director and has ultimate responsibility for the strategic management and direction of the Company. Andrew joined AOC Archaeology in May 2008 as Deputy Managing Director, becoming Managing Director in September 2010. Together with the Senior Management Team he has overseen the Company's continued growth in terms of market share, product development and geographic penetration. AOC currently has over 60 employees and 5 regional offices in the UK for which he takes ultimate responsibility. Following AOC’s ISO 9001 procedures, Andy has overall responsibility for quality assurance of the Company.
Andy has over 15 years experience working for the private, public and third sectors and throughout this time has designed, delivered and managed many heritage projects. Prior to working at AOC Andy worked as a Curator in National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh. Before that he worked as the first Development Officer for the Caithness Archaeological Trust. Andy gained a first class degree and a PhD in Archaeology from Edinburgh University. Andy is passionate about community archaeology and offers advice on often complex funding processes. Andy works with local communities to plan, develop and deliver their heritage aspirations in an ethical and sustainable way. Andy is also experienced in museums and interpretation.
Andy has pursued numerous research avenues throughout this time including the prehistory and history of Caithness, various Early Historic and Viking objects (particularly metalworking and bone objects) and has contributed numerous papers to international peer-reviewed journals and conferences. He also contributed a significant number of specialist reports to various archaeological publications as well as more general papers to journals and magazines. Andrew has appeared on both radio and television as a heritage consultant. Andy has numerous publications on archaeology, particularly in the field of artefacts and Iron Age archaeology. His co-authored book on Caithness Archaeology was published in July 2015.
Selected Bibliography
Heald, A & Barber, J 2015 Caithness Archaeology: Aspects of Prehistory. Caithness.
Heald, A 2010 ‘The Interpretation of Non-ferrous Metalworking in Early Historic Scotland’, in Driscoll, S T, Geddes, J & Hall, M A (eds), Pictish Progress: New Studies on Northern Britain in the Early Middle Ages, 221-45. Edinburgh.
Clarke, D V & Heald, A 2008 A new date for ‘Pictish’ symbols. Medieval Archaeology 52, 291–6.
Heald, A 2007 The Vikings in Scotland: Impact and Influence. Royal Society of Edinburgh. Edinburgh.
Campbell, E and Heald, A 2007 ‘A Pictish brooch mould from North Uist: implications for the organisation of non-ferrous metalworking in the later 1st Millenium A.D.’, Medieval Archaeology, 51, 172-78.
Clarke, D V & Heald, A 2002 ‘Beyond Typology: Combs, Economics, Symbolism and Regional Identity in Late Norse Scotland’, Norwegian Archaeol Rev, 35(2), 81-93.
Heald, A & Jackson, A 2002 ‘Caithness Archaeological Trust: Excavations at Everley Broch, Freswick’, Antiquity, 76 (2002), 31-32.
Heald, A 2001 ‘Knobbed Spearbutts of the British and Irish Iron Age: New Examples and New Thoughts’, Antiquity, 75 (2001),689-696.
Heald, A & Jackson, A 2001 ‘Towards an New Understanding of Iron Age Caithness’, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 131 (2001), 129-147.
