The Cabinet Office has announced that Lord Grade, the former chief executive of Channel 4, has been appointed interim chair of the new fundraising regulator.
The announcement, made this morning by the Cabinet Office, said that Michael Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth (pictured), who sits as a Conservative peer, will be responsible for “overseeing the setup” of the new fundraising body as recommended by Sir Stuart Etherington in his review into fundraising self-regulation.
According to the statement, the role will see Grade “lead the new body and system” and “work quickly to appoint a board and chief executive, and start working with charities to build the tough new self-regulatory system”.
The statement also said that Grade has been appointed for a 12-month period, with the possibility of reappointment. The role of interim chair is for four days per month and will be “remunerated at £500 per day”.
Lord Grade, 72, has had a long career in television broadcasting including as chair of the BBC board of governors, the chair and chief executive of ITV and a nine-year stint as chief executive of Channel 4.
Alongside his work in the media, Grade has also been active as a chair in various sectors, having previously chaired the National Lottery Operator Camelot and Ocado and is currently a trustee of the Science Museum.
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO and the author of the review, said of Grade’s appointment: “Lord Grade is a substantial figure with the experience to drive through the changes that must be made. He is a highly experienced chair and he has a clear commitment to public service along with a strong understanding of marketing, not least from his seven years as chairman of Ocado.
“I have every confidence that under his leadership the new fundraising regulator will become the body it needs to be in order to secure public trust.”
Rob Wilson, minister for civil society, said: “The new chair has a vital role in restoring public trust in the charity sector. I welcome Lord Grade into this role as someone with the stature and experience to set up the new regulator and bring people together to deliver the necessary reform.
“I have every confidence and expectation that all the recommendations laid out in Sir Stuart Etherington’s review of fundraising will be implemented in full.”
Speaking about his appointment, Grade said: “The people of Britain are amongst the most charitable on earth. Their continuing generosity depends on their trust in the charities who fundraise, which is why I intend to work with charities to ensure that this trust is not abused.”
Peter Lewis, chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising, said: "We warmly welcome Lord Michael Grade as the interim chair of the Fundraising Regulator.
"The establishment of the new, stronger independent regulator is an important change, one which IoF members called for, and one which many of our larger organisational members have already said they are willing to support.
"There is no time to waste in rebuilding public confidence in charity fundraising, the vast majority of which is already done to a very high standard."
Peter Hills-Jones, chief executive of the PFRA, said: "The PFRA are committed to play a full part working with the new chair to build a better environment for fundraisers and fundraising.
"We are already moving to expand our respected compliance work from street and door to door to other methods of fundraising to support raising standards and improve public confidence."
The announcement of Grade's appointment comes just over two weeks before the 50 largest fundraising charities will meet on 4 December for the fundraising summit.
