Her first job, in 1976, was for the Rowan Gallery in London. She set up the first British contemporary art fair at
Bath in 1980 and subsequently organised a touring exhibition for
Kodak. Nevill joined the
Royal Photographic Society in 1985 became its National Centre of Photography Administrator in late 1985. Nevill became the Society's Secretary in 1990 (later renamed Director-General), the first woman to hold the post. Nevill was appointed as Head of Museum at the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (now the
National Science and Media Museum) in
Bradford during the spring of 1994. During her tenure, the Museum carried out a £16 million re-development and launched the Bradford International Film Festival.
British Film Institute Nevill joined the
British Film Institute (BFI) as the organisation's Director in June 2003 (her job title changed to Chief Executive in 2011, after the BFI takeover of the
UK Film Council). According to her citation at an honorary degree award she has led its complete transformation into a major organisation valued by the UK industry and recognised as influential internationally. She pioneered the development of the VOD platform BFI Player, launched the BFI Film Academy and BFI Film Audience Network across the UK, transformed
BFI Southbank into one of London's coolest arts venues and ensured the
BFI London Film Festival is one of the most significant film festivals in the world. She remained as CEO until 2020. ==Honours==