Charity Commission - Registering and Declaring Interests
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 |
Chair |
Current Paid Work
- Board member of Consumer Focus
- Board member of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service
Current Trusteeships
Recent Former Paid Work
- Director of Assured British Meat (1997-1999)
- 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 (2004)
- Chair of the School Food Trust (2005-2006)
- Member of the Human Tissue Authority (2004-2006)
Current Trusteeships
Former Trusteeships
Other (current)
- Deputy Lieutenant of Devon
- Chair of the Council of Food Policy Advisers
- Patron of St Paul's Institute
- Member of the Labour Party
- Member of the Christian Socialist Movement
- Individual Member of the National Heart Forum
- Member of the Child Poverty Action Group
- Member of the Organophosphate Information Network
- Member of the Council, University of Exeter
- Member of the Advisory Board for BIOS Research Centre, LSE
- Member of State Honours Committee
- 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 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)
- Former 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)
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Simon Jones |
Member of the Commission |
Current Paid Work
- Head of public sector Wales, Odgers, Ray and Berndtson's
- Occasional consultancy for and on behalf of third sector organisations
- Occasional presenter for BBC Radio Wales
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 Deputy Chief Executive of the Wales Co-operative Centre
- Member of the Labour party and GMC member of Cardiff West CLP
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Irene Khan |
Member of the Commission |
Current Paid Work
Current Trusteeships
- International Save the Children Charity
Recent Former Paid Work
- Secretary General, Amnesty International
- Various positions in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland (1980-2001
Former Trusteeships
Other (current)
- Chancellor, Salford University
- Director, Manchester International Festival
- Board member, Institute for Human Rights and Business
- Board member, Partnership for Transparency Fund
Other (former)
- Chair of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International Limited,
- Director, Human Rights Foundation Limited,
- Board member, Concern Universal
Other (overseas) interests
- Trustee, Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice, Dublin, Ireland
- Board member, Centre for Economic and Social Rights, Madrid
- Board member, BRAC Bangladesh
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John Knight |
Member of the Commission |
Current Paid Work
- Director of Policy and Campaigns, Leonard Cheshire Disability
- Member of Third Sector Advisory Board, Office for the Third Sector, Cabinet Office (part time)
Current Trusteeships
Recent Former Paid Work
- Commissioner, Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) 2004 – 2009
- Council Member, General Social Care Council (GSCC) 2008-2009
- Non-Executive Director, Redbridge Primary Care Trust 2001-2004
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
- Benefactor, Aldeburgh Music (Registered charity 261383)
- Member of Advisory Panel, National Voices (Registered charity 1057711)
Other (former) - all unpaid
- External Board member, cross-government 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 |
Member of the Commission |
Current Paid Work
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Director of Finance and Investment, NHS East Sussex Downs and Weald, NHS Hastings and Rother
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 and Marketing Group, Coopers & Lybrand (1988 – 1993)
Other
- Member of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
- Member, Human Tissue Authority
- Member Olympic Lottery Distributor
- Yale World Fellow (in receipt f academic stipend (August – December 2007)
- Fellow, Royal Society of Arts
- Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales
- Currently paying school fees in the UK
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Andrew Purkis |
Member of the Commission |
Current Paid Work
Recent Former Paid Work
- 2005 to April - Chief Executive of the Tropical Health and Education Trust
- Over the last three years, consultancy assignments for the Youth Hostels Association of England and Wales and the charity Relate
- I have previously been employed by the NCVO (1980-1987), the Council for the Protection of Rural England (1987-1992), the Archbishop of Canterbury (1992-1998) and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund (1998-2005)
Current Trusteeships
Former Trusteeships
- Contact a Family (1986-1993)
- Green Alliance (1992-2004 - includes spell as Chair)
- Member of Parochial Church Council of St Michael's church Battersea
- Chair of Living Streets and the Empty Homes Agency
Other
- My wife is Chair of the Wandsworth-based Disability and Social Care Advice Service, and a Trustee of the South London Relief in Sickness Fund and of the Kate Wade Environmental Studies Fund
- My daughter is currently an employee of London citizens and active in the campaign Strangers into Citizens.
- My son is an employee of the Coram charity, London
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Theo Sowa |
Member of the Commission |
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 |
Member of the Commission |
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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Andrew Hind |
Chief Executive |
Current Paid Work
- Non-Executive Council Member and Audit Committee Chair of the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (from 1 January 2009)
Recent Former Paid Work
- Director of Finance and Deputy Chief Executive, ActionAid (1986-1991)
- Director of Finance and Corporate Services, Barnardo’s (1992-1995)
- Chief Operating Officer, BBC World Service (1995-2004)
Current Trusteeships
Former Trusteeships
- Voluntary Service Overseas (1995-1998)
- UK Committee for UNICEF (1995-2002, and also Hon. Treasurer)
- Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund (1999-2004, also Hon. Treasurer)
- BBC World Service Trust (1999-2004)
- Has also served as a trustee for a number of smaller charities: Mariners, 2nd Barnet Scout Group, Denis Bland Environmental Centre
Other
- Chair, Public Sector Advisory Board, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (from 2007)
- Member of Commission on the Future of Volunteering (from 2006)
- Member of Audit Committee for the Commonwealth Secretariat (2004-2006)
- Co-founder of Charity Finance Directors’ Group (1988) and Chair (1992-1994)
- Board member of International Fundraising Group, a non-profit organisation (1996-1999)
- Member, Charity Finance Charity Awards judges panel (2000-2004), Chair (2003-2004)
- NCVO Quality Standards Task Group, Working Party Chair (1998-2001)
- Author of The Governance and Management of Charities (1995), sponsored by BDO Stoy Hayward and BZW Investment Management
- Spouse is employed as a Support Worker / Training co-ordinator on a part-time basis with Middlesex Association for the Blind, a registered charity
- Observer member of Acevo Commission of Inquiry: Chief Executives on Governance, 2007
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Nick Allaway |
Executive Director, Charity Information and Corporate Services |
Recent Former Paid Work
- Director of Finance and Corporate Services at Big Lottery Fund (formerly New Opportunities Fund)
Current Trusteeships
- Trustee and Treasurer for Friends of Hornsey Church Tower
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Rosie Chapman |
Executive Director, Policy and Effectiveness |
Recent Former Paid Work
- New Islington & Hackney HA (1991 – 1995)
Former Trusteeships
- Hackney Women’s Aid, Treasurer (1992-2003)
Other
- Partner employed by Metropolitan Housing Trust
- Board member of Homes for Haringey (which manages homes on behalf of Haringey Council). (From April 2006)
- Member of the University of Liverpool Law School's Advisory Board
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Kenneth Dibble |
Executive Director, Legal and Compliance |
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David Locke |
Executive Director, Charity Services |
Recent Former Paid Work
- Mary Ward Legal Centre (1991-2002)
- Islington Law Centre (2001-2002)
Former Trusteeships
Other
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| Christopher Daws |
Independent member of the Audit Committee |
Current paid work
- Board for Actuarial Standards, member
- 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-)
- 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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| Irene Khan |
Member of the Commission |
- Educated in both the independent and state sectors
- Not currently paying school fees in the UK
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| John Knight |
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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| Dr Andrew Purkis |
Member of the Commission |
- Educated in the independent sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| Theo Sowa |
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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| Tess Woodcraft |
Member of the Commission |
- Educated in the state sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| Andrew Hind |
Chief Executive |
- Educated at a direct grant grammar school
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| Nick Allaway |
Executive Director, Charity Information and Corporate Services |
- Educated in the state sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| Rosie Chapman |
Executive Director, Policy and Effectiveness |
- Educated in the state sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| Kenneth Dibble |
Executive Director, Legal Services and Compliance |
- Educated in the state sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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| David Locke |
Executive Director, Charity Services |
- Educated in the state sector
- Not paying any school fees in the UK
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