Andrew Purkis

Andrew Purkis OBE is chair of ActionAid and until July 2010 was a board member of the Charity Commission.  

He is a consultant in the sector who has previously been chair of the Green Alliance, Living Streets and the Empty Homes Agency, and a trustee of Contact a Family.

After completing a degree in modern history and a Doctorate of Philosophy at Oxford University, Purkis spent six years as a fast-stream civil servant in the Northern Ireland Office and then moved into the voluntary sector as head of policy and assistant director at the NCVO from 1980 until 1987.

After that he became national director of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, then secretary for public affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury; chief executive of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and chief executive of the Tropical Health and Education Trust.

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