A woman cyclist killed in an accident with a lorry in London yesterday was a leading figure in the art and design world.

Formerly with the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London, Moira Gemmill, 55, had just begun a new role as director of capital programmes at the Royal Collection Trust.

In this position, she had been working on the delivery of major programmes at Windsor Castle and at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.

Ms Gemmill was cycling to her work at St James's Palace in London when involved in yesterday's accident at a dangerous road junction near Lambeth Bridge in Westminster.

She was the fifth cyclist to be killed in a collision with a lorry in London so far this year.

Ms Gemmill was director of design at the V&A, where she also led the planning and implementation of FuturePlan - the V&A's on-going programme of restoration, refurbishment and redesign of its galleries and public spaces.

She spent more than 10 years at the museum before leaving at the end of January and taking up the position with the Royal Collection Trust.

She had also been a judge for the Architectural Review's (AR) Women in Architecture Awards since their launch in 2011 and was an avid supporter of the campaign.

AR editor Christine Murray said: 'She believed in the importance of creating a more equal profession. The profession has lost one of its great patrons and champions."

Having grown up in a farming family in Kintyre in Scotland, Ms Gemmill studied graphic design and photography at the Glasgow School of Art.

Later, she worked for Aberdeen Art Gallery. In 2011 she was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

She was also a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

V&A director Martin Roth said: "We are devastated to hear of the tragic death of our much-loved and respected colleague of many years, Moira Gemmill.

"During her 13-year career at the V&A she made an extraordinary impact in transforming the museum's galleries and facilities.

"I cannot overstate Moira's remarkable contribution in making the V&A the global leader in museum design that it is today. She will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with her family at this very sad time."