The Rt Hon Baroness Stowell of Beeston MBE
Biography
Baroness Tina Stowell joined the Charity Commission as Chair in February 2018.
She joined the House of Lords as a backbencher in January 2011 and was promoted to the government front bench in September the same year. She was Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal from July 2014 until July 2016.
Education
She was educated at Chilwell Comprehensive School and Broxtowe College of Further Education. In December 2016 she received an Honorary Doctorate from Nottingham University.
Political career
After entering the House of Lords in January 2011, Baroness Stowell was promoted to the front bench as a government whip in September 2011.
As a junior minister she led the landmark Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act through the House of Lords and was also Minister for Communities. She co-chaired the Joint Select Committee of both Houses whose recommendations for the major programme of restoration and repair works to the Palace of Westminster were accepted by Parliament in February 2018.
Career before Parliament
Baroness Stowell was a civil servant between 1986 and 1996, including at the Ministry of Defence, the British Embassy in Washington and 10 Downing Street. After leaving the civil service she worked in the private sector for a couple of years, mainly in the media sector. She also served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Conservative Party between 1998 and 2001. After working for the Conservative Party, she moved to the BBC and spent time in various roles, including as Head of Corporate Affairs between 2008 and 2010.
Personal life
Baroness Stowell was awarded her MBE for services to the Prime Minister’s Office in 1996. She is currently a member of the House of Lords Communications Select Committee and sits on the boards of ABTA Ltd and Impellam Group plc.
Chair, Charity Commission
The Chair is responsible for effectively and accurately representing the views of the Charity Commission Board in:
- directing the commission’s strategic development, policies and plans
- communicating the commission’s plans and achievements to charities and their users, commission staff, the government and the public
- developing the commission’s relationships with government, sector bodies and other major stakeholders
The Chair leads the board in making sure the Charity Commission:
- carries out its statutory duties and responsibilities and exercises its legal powers appropriately
- carries out the board’s plans for the future, including its contribution to legislative reform
- carries out its services in line with agreed targets
Previous roles in government
Announcements
Subscriptions
- Charity can and should lead the way in taking people’s expectations seriously
- Baroness Tina Stowell speech at annual public meeting
- The future for charities can’t be guaranteed if today’s challenges are not met
- Chair's speech to the Charity Commission Annual Public Meeting
- Baroness Stowell's speech at the NAVCA Annual Conference 2018
- Charities and the power of place: the Commission’s new strategy and what it means for community foundations.
- Baroness Stowell: The Future of Charity
- New Chair of Charity Commission gives first major speech
- Baroness Stowell's speech at Safeguarding Summit
- Strathclyde Review: statement by Baroness Stowell