Dame Julia Unwin confirmed as Chair of Charity Commission for England and Wales

Dame Julia Unwin confirmed as Chair of Charity Commission for England and Wales

The Government has confirmed that Dame Julia Unwin will take office as the Charity Commission for England and Wales Chair.  She will join the regulator from 1 January 2026 and is set to hold a three-year term.

Dame Julia will succeed the interim Chair, Mark Simms, whose term was extended until 2026 to allow for the recruitment process to conclude.

Her appointment has been anticipated following her pre-appointment hearing on 25^th November 2025, where MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee endorsed her as Chair.  Chair of the committee, Dame Caroline Dineage MP, declared the committee's confidence in Dame Julia, stating she has the skills and experience to 'take on the challenge' of chairing the Charity Commission. 

Dame Julia brings to the role extensive experience in civil society and charity regulation having served on the Boards of numerous regulatory and Government bodies.   She previously served as a Charity Commissioner in the late 1990s and later spent almost 10 years as CEO of the Jospeh Rowntree Foundation.  She also chaired the Civil Society Futures Inquiry in 2018 and was made a Dame in recognition of her services to civil society in 2019.

Dame Julia told MPs that while it is not the regulator's responsibility to usher in and lead forward facing developments within the sector, it should be 'responsive and alert to developments in the sector that may require regulatory or even long-term legislative change'.

The sector has warmly welcomed the appointment of someone so well-steeped in civil society. Leigh Brimicombe, director of The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) praised her 'deep understanding of the sector's strengths and challenges' and Debra Allcock Tyler, chief executive of Directory of Social Change described the proposed appointment as 'great news'.