Government announces preferred candidate for the Charity Commission for England and Wales Chair

Dame Julia Unwin

Dame Julia Unwin has had a long career largely in the voluntary sector, and has also served on the Boards of a number of regulatory and government bodies, including five years as a Charity Commissioner in the late 1990s. She was a member of the Board of the Housing Corporation for 9 years. She served as Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation from 2007-2016. She has had experience as a consultant, adviser, mentor and speaker in the voluntary and broader public sector.

Dame Julia chaired the Civil Society Futures Inquiry which reported in 2018, and was awarded a DBE in 2019 for her services to civil society.  As well as chairing the Board of Governors of York St John University, she is also the Inaugural Chair of Smart Data Foundry, a subsidiary of Edinburgh University engaged with using private sector data for public good.

Dame Julia will now appear before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny on 25 November. 

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 

“Dame Julia brings a wide range of experience and expertise to the role having worked across both civil society and regulation. It makes her an outstanding candidate to be the chair of the Charity Commission.

“This will be a vital, public role to ensure that the Charity Commission’s independent regulation delivers high levels of public trust and confidence in charities.”

Under the terms of the Charities Act 2011, the appointment of the Charity Commission for England and Wales Chair is made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. 

Ministers were assisted in their decision making by an Advisory Assessment Panel which included a departmental official and a Senior Independent Panel Member approved by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. 

Notes to editors 

• The Chair of the Charity Commission is remunerated at £62,500 per annum for a time commitment of two and half days per week. 
• This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. 

• Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Dame Julia Unwin has not declared any significant political activity.