NCVO has announced the members of its executive pay inquiry that will create guidelines for charity trustees on deciding pay levels for senior executives.

The 18-strong group, made up mainly of charity chairs, also includes Sir John Baker, former chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body and subsequent chair of an independent review into parliamentary pay, pensions and allowances; and Nick Brooks, partner and head of not-for-profit sector group at accountancy firm Kingston Smith.

Brooks was asked to join by Martyn Lewis, chair of NCVO and of the new executive pay inquiry, following a civilsociety.co.uk article in which Brooks said he couldn’t understand why NCVO had decided that chairs were the best people to advise on pay guidance, when it is board members who already set the salaries that had been criticised in the right-wing press.

Group to report in spring

In the summer, a number of right-wing newspapers strongly criticised high levels of executive pay at a number of large, household-name charities. As a result NCVO decided to set up a working party to look at charity executive pay. It had originally planned to comprise the group of charity chairs.

The executive pay inquiry will explore the arguments about what are appropriate levels of pay for charity senior executives, and how these levels should be arrived at. It will also explore the relationship between salary levels and public trust and confidence in the sector as a whole.

From this, it will produce guidelines for charity trustees on setting salaries.

The group will meet for the first time next month and publish recommendations in the spring.

A spokeswoman said it expects the group to discuss issues relating to benchmarking, pay ratios in the voluntary sector, public trust and confidence, and reporting requirements.

Brooks said he was very pleased to be part of the inquiry. “It’s a tough challenge, but I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

The executive pay inquiry members are:

• Martyn Lewis CBE (chair) - Former BBC & ITV newscaster, chair of NCVO, YouthNet, Families of the Fallen and the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, and President of United Response
• Lord Allen CBE of Kensington - Outgoing chair of the Red Cross, chair of the Olympic Legacy charity 'Join In' and Global Radio Group
• Sir John Baker CBE - Former chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) and subsequent chair of an independent review into parliamentary pay, pensions and allowances
• Nick Brooks - Partner and head of not-for-profit sector group at accountancy firm Kingston Smith
• Andrew Dent CVO - Chair of the volunteering charity Reach
• Sacha Deshmukh - Newly-appointed deputy chair of Citizens Advice (England & Wales), CEO of Smart Meter Central Delivery Body and director of Consumer Futures
• Bruce Gordon - NCVO honorary treasurer and chairman of Honorary Treasurers' Forum, representing the Treasurers of all the big charities in the UK
• Dianne Jeffrey CBE DL - chair of Age UK and of Digital Outreach, former chair of the NHS Confederation, member of the Board of the University and Colleges Employers' Association (UCEA) and of the Heritage Lottery Fund East Midlands regional committee.
• Alice Maynard - Chair of Scope and founding director of Future Inclusion, which ensures effective governance practices are embedded in organisations
• Alan Parker - Chair of Save the Children, and founder and chairman of Brunswick Group
• Lord Phillips of Sudbury OBE - Chancellor of the University of Essex, and long-time charity campaigner, who has founded six charities including the Citizenship Foundation and the Solicitors Pro Bono Group (LawWorks) of both of which he is now president.                           
• David Sheepshanks - Chair of UK Sport, and of UK Community Foundations, which links philanthropists and other donors to local charities across the UK through a single access point
• Michael Smyth CBE- chairs three charities including Community Links, the innovative east London social enterprise; he was for many years a partner at Clifford Chance and is a member of the Press Complaints Commission and visiting professor at QMUL.
• John Stewart - Chair of Guide Dogs and Legal & General, with extensive senior management and business experience across a range of FTSE 100 companies.
• Ian Theodoreson - Chief finance officer of the Church of England, and chairman of the Charity Finance Group
• John Wood - Board member of the Charity Commission since 2008, and a charity consultant at the law firm Herbert Smith.
• Mark Wood - Chair of the NSPCC and CEO of JLT Pension Benefits Solutions
• Vicky Wright – Deputy chair of RNLI and immediate past President of CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development), the professional body of the HR community
• Rosie Chapman (secretariat) - An independent charity adviser.  She was formerly director of policy and effectiveness at the Charity Commission, and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and current trustee of the Charity Finance Group.