Julia Unwin
Dame Julia Unwin DBE FAcSS (born 6 July 1956) was chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)[1] and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust[2](JRHT). The Guardian in 2007 described her as a "major player in the voluntary sector."[3] In 2012 she was appointed by the Scottish Government as a member of the Expert Working Group on Welfare and Constitutional Reform.[4]
Early life
Unwin is the daughter of Peter William Unwin, a retired diplomat.[5] She studied History at Liverpool University and graduated Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1978.[3] She then went on to undertake postgraduate studies in Social Policy and Planning at the London School of Economics, graduating Master of Science (MSc) in 1991.[3][5]
Career
She was Chief executive of JRF and JRHT from January 2007 to December 2016. Previous roles include being a freelance consultant between 1993 and 2006 – during this time Julia undertook policy analysis, governance support and project evaluation. She has been a member of the peer review of Cabinet office (2000), a member of the Capability Review at DCLG (2006), Social Policy Adviser at NatWest Bank, and Senior Adviser to the Baring Foundation. She is a member of the Council at the University of York.[6]
Former roles
- 1978–1980 Field worker, Liverpool Council for Voluntary Service
- 1980 -1982 Community Liaison officer, London Borough of Southwark social services
- 1982–1986 Head of Voluntary sector liaison team, Greater London Council
- 1986–1992 Director, Homeless Network[7]
- 1995–1998 Chair of Refugee Council[2]
- 1998–2003 Charity Commission for England and Wales Charity Commissioner[2][3][7]
- 1992–2001 Board member, Housing Corporation[2]
- 2001–2006 Board member, National Consumer Council[8]
- 2003–2006 Deputy Chair, Food Standards Agency[2]
In January 2016 Julia was appointed as an independent non-executive Director of Mears Group Plc. In January 2017 she was appointed as a non-executive director at Yorkshire Water. She is also a non-executive director of the Financial Reporting Council. She chaired the independent inquiry into the future of civil society, which concluded and published its findings in late 2018[9].
Honours
Unwin was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to the housing corporation,[10] Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2006 as deputy chair of the Food Standards Agency for services to consumers,[8] and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to civil society.[11]
She received an Outstanding Leadership Award, at the 2010 Charity Awards. The presenter said "...it's hard to overstate the impact that her work has had on social policy in the UK."[6]
Publications
- Lending money, the issues for grant making trusts; Julia Unwin; Published by the Baring Foundation; 1995
- Trends, Myths and Realities: Funding Policy and the Local Voluntary Sector; Julia Unwin and Peter Westland; Published by Association of Charitable Foundations; 1996
- Who pays for Core Costs?; Julia Unwin; Published by ACEVO; 1999
- Speaking Truth to Power; Julia Unwin; Published by the Baring Foundation; 2004[13]
- The Grant Making Tango: Issues for Funders; Julia Unwin; Published by the Baring Foundation; 2004[14]
- The Voluntary Sector delivering public services: Transfer or transformation? ; Will Paxton, Nick Pearce, Julia Unwin and Peter Molyneux; Published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation; 2005[15]
- Fruitful funding: A guide to levels of engagement; Julia Unwin; Published by NCVO; 2005[16]
- The role of kindness in public policy; Julia Unwin; Carnegie UK Trust[17]
References
- "Julia Unwin CBE". Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
- "Julia Unwin CBE," Guardian, 17 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011
- Benjamin, Alison "In search of evils," The Guardian, 16 May 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2011
- Expert Working Group on Welfare and Constitutional Reform, Government of the United Kingdom
- "UNWIN, Julia". Who's Who 2014. A & C Black. December 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)"National honour for York charity chief Julia Unwin," The Press (York), 11 June 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2011
- Mehra, Nina, "Friends Provident boosts ethical committee," Financial News, 10 May 2000. (Registration required). Retrieved 10 August 2011
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)"Julia Unwin," Food Standards Agency. Updated April 2006. Retrieved 10 August 2011
- "Home page". Civil Society Futures. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- "Order of the British Empire," BBC News, 30 December 2000. Retrieved 10 August 2011
- "No. 62866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 2019. p. N8.
- Archived 29 July 2012 at Archive.today"Julia Unwin CBE'" Civil Society, Charity award winners. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/voluntary-sector-delivering-public-services-transfer-or-transformation
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Julia Unwin report examines role of kindness in public policy". Carnegie UK Trust. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2019.