Contents
Principles
In common with other public bodies, the Commission has arrangements under which potential conflicts of interest can be recognised and managed.
On appointment, in order to preserve their complete independence on all charity matters, the Chair and Chief Executive will relinquish all trusteeships in charities.
On appointment, Members of the Commission are normally asked to stand down from Chairmanship of charities. It is normal, however, for them to retain existing trusteeships or other roles, and for those whose livelihood involves professional involvement with charities, to continue with it, provided that it is transparent and is not inconsistent with the Commission's regulatory role.
Following appointment, Members of the Commission will seek advice from the Chair (and in the case of the Chair from the Chief Executive) before taking on any new role(s) in a charity or other body in which there might be a real or perceived conflict of interest.
Where a Member of the Commission's circumstances involve, or might appear to involve, clear potential for a material conflict of interest in his or her official role, he or she will declare them in this register, and, where appropriate, withdraw from related Commission business and discussions.
All personal or business interests which may, or may be perceived, to influence their judgement, should be declared.
Members of the Commission will declare on the Register interests of the following kinds:
- Trusteeship of a registered or unregistered charity
- Within the past year:
- Any direct pecuniary benefit from a charity or related body to self or an immediate family member (spouse, partner, dependent children and any other dependent person resident in the same household); and
- Any significant and material non-pecuniary benefit from a charity or related body to self or an immediate family member
- Any pecuniary or other material interest in a company or organisation which is, or is likely to become, involved in a commercial relationship with the Commission
- Any matter not specified above which a reasonable third party would consider of clear and material relevance, actual or potential, to the Commission Member's official role
Members will also routinely register the following:
- Office or employment held in related bodies (public or private) other than the Commission
- Membership of any Masonic organisation
- "Pecuniary interests" include both interests which arise as a charity beneficiary and those which arise from a business relationship
"Related body" includes non-charitable subsidiaries of charities, fundraising organisations and any other organisation with significant commercial, pecuniary or comparable interests involving charities.
Registration and declaration
It would be impracticable and unnecessary to register all personal involvement of a less direct or more minor kind with charities and related bodies, given the very wide part that charities play in daily life. Members of the Commission declare interests which are relevant, but not sufficiently material to merit inclusion in the Register, as and when they come up in the course of Commission business. The criterion for declaration is whether a reasonable third party might consider that the objectivity of the views of Members of the Commission might be affected. The Chair will remind Members of the Commission at the start of a Board meeting regarding the need to declare any such interests. While declaration will in itself usually be sufficient to manage interests of this kind, the Member of the Commission will consider, in appropriate cases, whether it would be appropriate also to withdraw.
A record of interests declared in this way, and what action has been taken to manage them, will be kept by the Secretary of the Board.
Interests suitable to be managed in this way include the following:
- Being a member or 'friend' of a charity
- Personal donations
- Involvement in routine activities organised or provided by a charity where no degree of personal benefit to the Member of the Commission or a close family member is involved which requires registration
Procedures
The Register is maintained by the Secretary of the Board and published on the Commission's website. Each Member amends his or her entry to reflect developments as they occur and formally reviews his or her entry annually at the start of the Financial Year.
Members of the Commission are advised by the Chair on matters connected with the Register, including this guidance. The Chair is advised as necessary by the Chief Executive and Head of Governance on these matters generally, and if necessary on registration and declaration of his or her own interests.
Charity Commission Register of Board Members' interests
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Dame Suzi Leather
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Chair
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Current paid work
- Board member of Consumer Focus
- Board member of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service
Recent former paid work
- Chair of Exeter and District Community NHS Trust (1997-2001)
- Deputy Chair of Food Standards Agency (2000-2002)
- Chair of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (2002-2006)
- Chair of the School Meals Review Panel (2005)
- Chair of the School Food Trust (2005-2006)
- Member of the Human Tissue Authority (2005-2006)
Current trusteeships
Former trusteeships
Other (current)
- Deputy Lieutenant of Devon
- Member of State Honours Committee
- Member of the Council, University of Exeter
- Member of the Advisory Board for BIOS Research Centre, LSE
- Chair, Ethics Committee of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Membership of the Labour Party
- Membership of the Christian Socialist Movement
- Membership of the National Heart Forum
- Membership of the Child Poverty Action Group
- Membership of the Organophosphate Information Network
- Fellow (ad eundem), Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Honorary Doctorate, University of Aberdeen, 2007
- Hon. Doctor of Civil Law, University of Huddersfield
- Hon. Fellowship of The Royal Society of Public Health
- Hon. Doctor of Law, Exeter University
Other (former)
- Member of the Agricultural Systems Directorate Management Committee of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (1994-1997)
- Chair of Quality of Life Seminary, BBSRC/NFA (1997)
- Expert to the Study Group on Postal Services (1995)
- Member of the OFWAT Customer Service Committee for the South West (1996-1998)
- Member of the Programme Management Committee of LINK Sustainable Livestock Production (1996-1998)
- NFU Crop Assurance Protocol (1996-1997)
- Founder Patron and Director of the Good Food Foundation (1996-2003)
- Community and Public Involvement Group of the Chief Medical Officer's project to strengthen the Public Health Function (1997)
- Chair of St Sidwells Centre (2001- 2003)
- Elected Council Member of NHS Confederation (1998-2001)
- Chair of North and East Devon Health Forum (1998-2000)
- Observer Member of the Human Genetics Commission (2002-2006)
- Member of Steering Group of the UK Stem Cell Bank 2002-2006)
- Member of the International Advisory Board of the 6th EU Framework Programme for Research and Technology Participatory, Governance and Institutional Innovation Project (PAGANINI), University of Vienna (2004-2006)
- Chair of Council of Food Policy (2008-2010)
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Simon Jones
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Member of the Commission
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Current paid work
- Head of public sector Wales, Odgers Berndtson
Recent former paid work
- Chair of Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust (2004 - 2009)
- Chief Executive of the Wales Co-operative Centre (1994 – 2004)
Current trusteeships
Other
- Spouse is Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy (a registered charity)
- Member of the Labour party and GMC member
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John Knight CBE
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Member of the Commission
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Current trusteeships
Recent former paid work
- Director of Policy and Campaigns, Leonard Cheshire Disability 1994-2010
- Council Member, General Social Care Council (GSCC) 2008-2009
- Commissioner, Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) 2004-2009
- Non-Executive Director, Redbridge Primary Care Trust 2001-2004
- Member of the OCS Advisory Board, Office for Civil Society, Cabinet Office 2008-2011
Former trusteeships
- National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) 2003-2008
- Winged Fellowship Trust (now known as Vitalise) 1996 - 1998
Other (current)
- Justice of the Peace, NE London, Her Majesty's Court Service
- Member of Advisory Committee on the selection of Magistrates, NE London, Ministry of Justice
- Benefactor, Aldeburgh Music (Registered charity 261383)
- Member of Advisory Panel, National Voices (Registered charity 1057711)
Current unpaid work
- Member Community, Voluntary and Local Services Honours Committee, 2011 - to date
Other (former) - all unpaid
- External Board member, Office for Disability Issues Management Board, Department for Work and Pensions. 2006-2009
- Member of Voluntary & Community Sector Advisory Group to the Active Communities Directorate, Home Office. 2003-2005
- Member of the Ministerial Steering Group of HM Treasury Cross Cutting Review of the role of the voluntary and community sector in the delivery of public services. 2001-2002
- Convener of Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG). 1994-2005
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Sharmila Nebhrajani
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Member of the Commission
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Current paid work
- Director of Finance and Investment, NHS Sussex
Recent former paid work
- Chief Operating Officer and Finance Director, BBC Future Media and Technology (1999-2009)
- Head of Corporate Planning, BBC (1997-1999)
- Senior Strategy Adviser (1996-1997)
- Assistant Director, Media Corporate Finance Group, Price Waterhouse (1995-1996)
- Strategic Planning Manager, Cable & Wireless plc (1993-1995)
- Senior Consultant, Strategy & Marketing Group, Coopers & Lybrand (1988-1993)
Current appointments
- Board Member, Bar Standards Board
- Audit Committee Member, Institute of Cancer Research
- Council Member, University of Sussex (Sept 2011 onwards)
- Finance Committee Member, Restless Development
Recent appointments
- Member of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (1999-2009)
- Member, Human Tissue Authority (2004-2007)
- Member Olympic Lottery Distributor (2004-2007)
- Yale World Fellow (in receipt of academic stipend (Aug- Dec 2007)
- Audit Committee Member, Royal Shakespeare Company (2007-2010)
Other
- Fellow, Royal Society of Arts
- Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales
- Treasurer 15th Brighton Scout Group
- Currently paying school fees in the UK
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Theo Sowa CBE
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Member of the Commission
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Current work
Independent Consultant and Advisor, working with a range of international organisations, foundations and individuals including (in past year): UNICEF (NY HQ and Innocenti Research Centre); African Feminist Forum; Third Sector European Network; Gaia Foundation; Stephen Lewis Foundation, Community Service Volunteers, Communication for Social Change Consortium and the Communication Initiative.
Recent former paid work
- Reporter/Presenter - Thames TV, BBC, Channel Four (1987-1990)
- Independent Consultant for a variety of international agencies, organisations and individuals (1991 - present)
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (1995-96; 2000)
Current trusteeships
- Children's Investment Fund Foundation (board member)
- Every Child a Reader (Advisory Board member)
- Every Child A Chance (formal name and registration pending)
- Evidence for Development (Patron)
- Refugee Council (Chair's Advisory group)
Former trusteeships
- Conciliation Resources (board member)
- The Rainer Foundation (board member)
- National Youth Agency (former DFE appointed board member)
Other
- Stephen Lewis Foundation (Africa Advisory Group)
- Comic Relief (Chair, International Grants Committee)
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Simon Wethered
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Member of the Commission
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Current paid work
- Part time consultant to the Charity Group at Charles Russell LLP
Current trusteeships
- The Leche Trust (1997-)
- The St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal Fund (Chairman since 1999)
- Wormwood Scrubs Branch Chairman of the National Association of Official Prison Visitors (1986-)
Former trusteeships
- Marie Curie Cancer Care (2001 -)
- The Connection at St Martin in the Fields (2000-)
- HSBC Common Fund for Income/HSBC Common Fund for Growth (2003-)
- Isleworth Festival
Other
- Member of Council, The City and Guilds of London Institute (2006-)
- Member of the Charity Law Association
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| John Wood |
Member of the Commission |
Current work
- Part time consultant to Herbert Smith LLP on trust law.
Recent former paid work
- Partner, Herbert Smith (1982-2007)
Current trusteeships
- Friends of the Senate House Library, University of London, Treasurer (2006- )
Former trusteeships
- Weinstock Fund (1998-2000)
- Jungels-Winkler Charitable Foundation (1998-2009)
Other
- Author's contract with Oxford University Press
- Member of the Executive Committee of the Trust Law Committee
- Member of the Charity Law Association
- Member of the Society of Trust and Estates Practioners
- Committee Member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists
- CEDR qualified mediator
- Currently paying school fees in the UK
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Sam Younger
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Chief Executive |
Current paid work
- Independent Member of Standards Committee, Greater London Authority
Recent former paid work
- 2010 Interim Chief Executive, Electoral Reform Society
- 2010 Interim Chief Executive, Bell Educational Trust
- 2009 Interim Chief Executive, Shelter
- 2001-2008 Chair, Electoral Commission
Current trusteeships
Former trusteeships
- Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Chair 2004-2009
- University of Sussex, 1998-2007, 1998-2007 (Chair 2001-2007)
- English Touring Opera, 1999-2010
Other
- Director, Electoral Reform International Services
- Executive Committee, Pilgrims Society of Great Britain
- Advisory Committee, Magna Carta Institute, Brunel University
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| Christopher Daws |
Independent member of the Audit Committee |
Current paid work
- Board for Actuarial Standards, member - 2006 to 2011 (ceased Feb 2011)
- Augmentum Consulting Limited, consultant
Recent former paid work
- Church Commissioners, financial and deputy secretary (1994-2006)
Current trusteeships
- Action for Children trustee board - member (2005-)
- Action for Children Pension Fund trustee board -member/chairman (2005-)
- Church Housing Trust (2010-)
- The Share Foundation - trustee (2007-)
Former trusteeships
- PCC St Mary's Reigate, treasurer (1981-1987)
Other
- Charity Investors Group - committee member
- Politeia, Economic Research Council, Institute for Fiscal Studies - subscribing member
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Other information
Educational background and interests
| Dame Suzi Leather |
Chair |
- Educated in both the independent and state sectors
- Not currently paying school fees in the UK
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| Simon Jones |
Member of the Commission |
- Educated in the state sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| John Knight CBE |
Member of the Commission |
- Educated in the state sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| Sharmila Nebhrajani |
Member of the Commission |
- Educated in the independent sector
- Currently paying school fees in the UK
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| Theo Sowa CBE |
Member of the Commission |
- Educated in the independent sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| Simon Wethered |
Member of the Commission |
- Educated in the independent sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| John Wood |
Member of the Commission |
- Educated in the independent sector
- Currently paying school fees in the UK
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| Sam Younger |
Chief Executive |
- Educated in the independent sector
- Not currently paying school fees in the UK
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