Helen Stephenson is due to step down as CEO after seven years in July 2024, with former Commission Deputy CEO David Holdsworth stepping up as the new CEO.
Stephenson has reflected on her experience during a talk at the Civil Society Media’s Trustee Exchange, where she discussed the increased personal scrutiny and unrealistic expectations that are being put on sector leadership roles. Leading a charity, particularly a larger charity, is already difficult and highly pressured position to be in, and Stephenson believes that this increased personal scrutiny may deter individuals from taking sector leadership roles as they are going to face unpleasant and unrelenting criticisms.
Stephenson said she was also apprehensive about the Commission’s resources relative to the size of the charity sector, and “growing expectations as to the nature and extent of our oversight”. She drew comparison to the Commission being seen as an Ombudsman for individuals not satisfied with their experience of a charity, or an inspectorate of the charity reviewing on a regular basis.
“Neither of these expectations is realistic or manageable under the current framework, and this worries me. Over coming years, the Commission is going to have to work hard to explain its role – what it can do, and what it can’t and won’t.”
