Dame Julia Unwin (born 6 July 1956) is a British businessperson who was chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT)."Julia Unwin CBE", The Guardian, 17 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011. The Guardian in 2007 described her as a "major player in the voluntary sector". In 2012, she was appointed by the Scottish Government as a member of the Expert Working Group on Welfare and Constitutional Reform.Expert Working Group on Welfare and Constitutional Reform, Government of the United Kingdom In January 2026 she became the chair of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.Charity Commission, Charity Commission News: February 2026, updated on 23 February 2026, accessed on 24 April 2026
Early life Unwin is the daughter of Peter William Unwin, a retired diplomat. She studied history at Liverpool University and graduated Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1978. 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.
Career 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 1992–2001: Board member, Housing Corporation 1995–1998: Chair of Refugee Council 1998–2003: Charity Commission for England and Wales: Charity Commissioner Mehra, Nina, "Friends Provident boosts ethical committee", Financial News, 10 May 2000. (Registration required). Retrieved 10 August 2011 2001–2006: Board member, National Consumer Council"Julia Unwin," Food Standards Agency. Updated April 2006. Retrieved 10 August 2011 2003–2006: Deputy Chair, Food Standards Agency
In January 2016, Unwin 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.
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 Unwin 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."National honour for York charity chief Julia Unwin", The Press (York), 11 June 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2011
In January 2026 she became the chair of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
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,"Order of the British Empire", BBC News, 30 December 2000. Retrieved 10 August 2011. Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2006 as deputy chair of the Food Standards Agency for services to consumers, and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to civil society.
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."
Family life Unwin is married and has two children. They reside in York, England."Julia Unwin CBE", Civil Society, Charity award winners. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011. .
Publications Lending money, the issues for grant making trusts, Baring Foundation, 1995 Trends, Myths and Realities: Funding Policy and the Local Voluntary Sector, with Peter Westland; Association of Charitable Foundations, 1996 Who Pays for Core Costs?, ACEVO, 1999 Speaking Truth to Power, Baring Foundation, 2004 The Grant Making Tango: Issues for Funders, Baring Foundation, 2004 The Voluntary Sector delivering public services: Transfer or transformation?, with Will Paxton, Nick Pearce and Peter Molyneux; Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2005 Fruitful Funding: A guide to levels of engagement, NCVO, 2005 The role of kindness in public policy, Carnegie UK Trust
References
External links jrf.com, Joseph Rowntree Foundation.