Two new board members appointed to the Charity Commission

21 Jan 2020 News

Imran Gulamhuseinwala and Joanne Prowse have been appointed as new board members of the Charity Commission, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced yesterday.

They took up their places on 14 November 2019, after their predecessors Catherine Quinn and Laurie Benson came to the end of their three-year terms.

Both have been appointed for three years, with their terms ending on 13 November 2022.

Neither of them has extensive charity experience.

Imran Gulamhuseinwala 

Gulamhuseinwala’s background is in fintech. He is a trustee of Open Banking, an entity set up by the Competition and Markets Authority to enable secure sharing of banking information and make the banking sector more competitive and innovative. 

He also founded Commuter Club, a loan company that allows commuters to purchase annual tickets but pay for them monthly, has worked for multiple financial companies and is a chartered investment professional.

Gulamhuseinwala said: “I am hugely excited by the opportunities that lay ahead for the Commission. I have seen the progress that has already been made in introducing digital services but there is scope to do so much more. 

“I hope to lend my experience of tech, big data and its potential for transformation of a sector to help the Commission make an even bigger impact and meet the expectations of the public and charities alike.”

Joanne Prowse

Joanne Prowse has experience in the regulation field. She has been working for the Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA), which regulates phone-paid services (including charity donations via text), since 2010, and became its chief executive in 2015.

She previously worked for PRS for Music, a copyright collection society, and is a committee member of charities Chorleywood Music and the Rickmansworth Young Musician of the Year Competition.

Prowse said: “I am delighted to have joined the Commission’s board and look forward to helping the Charity Commission maximise the positive impact charity makes to society and to ensuring we uphold the special status it holds in the hearts and minds of the public.

“I hope all my experience of regulating mass-market digital services will help the Commission and charities to serve the public better.”

'They both bring the skills and expertise we need'

Chair of the Charity Commission Baroness Stowell said she is “very pleased” with the appointments.

“They both bring the skills and expertise we need for the Commission to achieve our ambitious strategy and ensure that charities deliver even more benefit to society. 

“Each will make a significant impact to the Commission’s agenda for change, including all we are doing to improve and modernise our services which the public and trustees rely on, and I am delighted to have them on board.

“I would also like to thank Catherine and Laurie for their contribution to our strategic agenda whilst on the board and for their commitment to increasing the Commission’s effectiveness.”

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