Former chancellor George Osborne appointed chairman of the British Museum

Prominent former politician will assume position in October when Sir Richard Lambert steps down

George Osborne arrives at the offices of the Evening Standard newspaper on his first official day in the role of editor, in May 2017, in London. Getty Images

George Osborne with the Order of the Companions of Honour which he received from the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace in November 2016. Getty Images

Then Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates look through a microscope during a visit to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 2016. Getty Images

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in October 2015 in Manchester. Getty Images

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne takes a pizza he made from the oven as a staff member looks on during a visit to a Pizza Express restaurant in 2015 in Hove. Getty Images

George Osborne holds Gladstone's original budget box as he leaves 11 Downing Street for Parliament in June 2010. Getty Images

George Osborne checks his Blackberry in David Cameron's office in Portcullis House in the early hours of the morning during talks with the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition government in May 2010. Getty Images

Then Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne arrives at Canary Wharf tube station to deliver a speech in 2009. Getty Images

The UK's former finance minister George Osborne was named on Thursday as the new chairman of the British Museum.

His appointment comes just a few months after he left his position as editor of London's Evening Standard to join Robey Warshaw, the boutique bank that advised Comcast in the cable company's 2018 takeover of Sky.

Mr Osborne will join the museum's board of trustees on September 1 before officially succeeding Sir Richard Lambert in the unpaid role on October 4.

He tweeted his delight to be joining the "greatest museum in the world".

Mr Osborne has gained a reputation for holding several highly paid positions concurrently since leaving the Finance Ministry in 2016.

His position at the British Museum will neither affect his partnership at Robey Warshaw nor chairmanship of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, an assembly of civic and business leaders from across the North of England.

While Mr Osborne's latest appointment will raise eyebrows given his lack of experience in the sector, British Museum director Hartwig Fischer is convinced of his credentials.

"George Osborne knows the museum well and values the trust the museum enjoys around the world," he said.

"He understands the active role the British Museum is playing in the recovery of the country, creating opportunities for everyone to discover the collection as their own – onsite, through loans to their local museums and online."

In pictures: Scroll through the gallery for some George Osborne career highlights