Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson has announced three new appointments to the Board of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
They are Laurie Benson, Paul Martin and Catherine Quinn. All three have taken up their new posts this month and will serve a three year term.
Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson said:
This is a period of fast-paced change at the Charity Commission as it completes its transformation programme. These appointments will bring new skills, knowledge and experience that will be of real benefit to the Charity Commissions board.
William Shawcross, Charity Commission Chair said:
I am delighted to welcome Laurie Benson, Paul Martin and Catherine Quinn to the Commission. They each bring with them a wealth of experience from which we will benefit greatly. I look forward to working with them in the coming months as we continue to strengthen the Commission and develop our work further.
About the new board members:
Laurie Benson
Laurie Benson is the CEO of Upnexxt Ltd, a media consultancy firm. Her previous roles include Publishing Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa for both Time Magazine and Time.com and Bloomberg Media. Laurie is a Trustee of the Royal Air Force Museum and a Non-Executive Director of The Medical Algorithms Company. She is also a regular industry speaker on topics of digital transformation.
Paul Martin
Paul Martin is an adviser and writer on security, risk and behaviour. He has previously served as Director of Security for Parliament and in the UK national security arena. Paul is a Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI (Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies) and a Distinguished Research Fellow at Imperial College London. He is also the author or co-author of several books on behavioural science.
Catherine Quinn
Catherine Quinn is Chief Operating Officer and Associate Dean at Oxford Universitys Sad Business School. Her previous roles include Chief Executive of The Middle Temple, Head of Grants Management at the Wellcome Trust, and Director of Research Services at the University of Oxford. Catherine has been a member of several boards and is currently a Trustee of The Royal British Legion and a Non-Executive Director of the National Memorial Arboretum.
Notes to editors
The new board members have been appointed for three year terms and took up their posts on 14 November 2016.
The recruitment followed the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice, and its principles of fairness, merit and openness. The Code of Practice requires the disclosure of relevant and declarable political activity. No appointed candidate declared any political activity in their application.
The appointments were formally made by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Rt Hon Ben Gummer MP prior to the coming into force on 9th November of the Transfer of Functions (Elections, Referendums, Third Sector and Information) Order 2016 which transferred the statutory power of appointment to the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport.