The government’s choice for the next Charity Commission chair has been endorsed by a select committee and will take up the role pending final approval.
Julia Unwin was yesterday backed by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee to become chair of the Charity Commission after a pre-appointment hearing on Tuesday.
Following the committee’s report, the final decision to appoint Unwin now rests with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Unwin’s endorsement marks a change from the two previous commission chair nominees Orlando Fraser and Tina Stowell, neither of whom were approved by the committee, but were still appointed.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Unwin said she would only take on the role if she received the committee’s backing.
Unwin was one of 44 applicants and, if confirmed, her duties will include setting the board’s agenda, leading development of the commission’s strategy and ensuring it appropriately exercises its legal powers.
Caroline Dinenage, the select committee chair, praised Unwin’s likely appointment at a challenging time for the charity sector as it grapples with threats to public trust, difficulties facing trusteeship and declining volunteer numbers.
Dinenage said: “It’s clear that Dame Julia has the skills and experience to take on the challenge of chairing an organisation that plays a vital role ensuring that the public can support charities with confidence.
“We look forward to engaging with her as she gets to work, at a time when the charity sector needs a robust and supportive regulator.”
The commission said that it plans to issue a further statement once Unwin’s appointment is confirmed by the government.
Pledge to make firm decisions as chair
Unwin, the previous nine-year leader of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, was named as the DCMS’s choice earlier this month.
Unwin served as charity commissioner for five years in the late 1990s and was a member of the Board of Housing Corporation for nine years.
She also chaired the Civil Society Futures Inquiry, which reported in 2018, as well as the board of governors at York St John University. She was in the inaugural chair of Edinburgh University’s subsidiary Smart Data Foundry.
At Tuesday’s select committee hearing, Unwin said she would give the regulator “teeth” to allow it to “make decisions clearly, firmly and with confidence.”
