For immediate release: 13 December 2007

Julia Unwin appointed to Council on Social Action

Julia Unwin, Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has been appointed to the Council on Social Action. The Council, set up by Gordon Brown, met for the first time on Tuesday (11 December). It will generate and advise on ideas and initiatives to advance and communicate the Government’s social change agenda.

The Council also aims to:

• inspire, facilitate and celebrate social action;
• connect those already working for social change; and
• reach and engage currently inactive people and catalyse new collaborative social action.

Its terms of reference include:

• bringing together leading social activists and innovators to harness their creativity and commitment to the Government’s social action agenda;
• generating new ideas; bringing people and organisations together to develop ideas and proposals; supporting the delivery of initiatives; and contributing, as appropriate, to the development of policy in related areas, in an advisory capacity;
• supporting the development of the Prime Minister’s Awards for Social Technology, the Global Social Leadership Forum, and working with City leaders on applying their talents to social change issues, alongside new initiatives generated by the Council.

The Prime Minister said that his reason for establishing the Council was:

“To bring social innovators together to generate ideas on how the whole of Government can support the efforts of all those striving for change, in all their diverse ways. [It] will advise the Government on new initiatives to celebrate, connect and inspire those working for social good.”

Notes to editors

1. Photos are available, please contact Campbell McDonald on 020 7276 0311.
2. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is one of the largest social policy research and development charities in the UK. It supports a research and development programme that seeks to understand the causes of social difficulties and explore ways of overcoming them.
3. The Council will meet every two months from this point. Different members of the Council will be appointed as ‘champions’ to take forward different strands of activity between meetings.
4. Julia Unwin joined the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as Director on 1 January 2007. She was previously Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency and worked as an independent consultant operating within government and the voluntary and corporate sectors. In that role, she focused on the development of services and in particular the governance and funding of voluntary organisations. She also served as a member of the Housing Corporation Board for 10 years and a Charity Commissioner from 1998 until 2003. Among other voluntary roles, she was chair of the Trustees of the Refugee Council from 1995 until 1998. Julia has long experience as an advocate for the users of housing, health and social care services and recently chaired the King’s Fund Inquiry into the operation of the care market for older people.

Members of the Council

The current members were appointed as leaders from a range of sectors, all with a strong track record of experience and achievement in social activism and innovation.

• David Robinson, founder of Community Links and We Are What We Do;
• Tim Smit, co-founder and Chief Exec of the Eden Project;
• Geoff Mulgan, Director of the Young Foundation;
• Julia Unwin, Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation;
• David Thomlinson, Managing Director of Accenture;
• Kevin Steele, Chief Exec of Inspired Campaigns;
• Peter Wheeler, co-founder of New Philanthropy Capital and Chair of Futurebuilders (third sector funding organisation);
• Julia Ogilvy, founder and Chair of Project Scotland (ground-breaking youth volunteering charity in Scotland);
• Sophie Tranchell, Managing Director of Divine Chocolate (pioneering social enterprise);
• Shankari Chandran, Pro bono & Community Affairs Manager, Allen & Overy;
• Olga Heaven, founder of Hibiscus (caters for the needs of women in prison);
• Oli Barrett, new technology social entrepreneur (creator of the Make Your Mark with a Tenner initiative);
• Rob Owen, Chief Exec of the St Giles Trust (award-winning re-offending charity);
• Paul Twivy, renowned communications innovator and consultant (helped to establish charity organisations Pilotlight and TimeBank);
• Kay Allen, Head of Social Policy and Inclusion, Royal Mail.

Issued by Charlotte Morris, JRF Senior Media Relations Manager: 01904 615 919 / 020 7278 9665