In his first speech as Chair of the Commission, Orlando Fraser sets out his intention to lead an expert regulator that is fair, balanced and independent.
As a Chancery barrister, I am particularly delighted that my very first speaking engagement as Chair of the Commission is with a large body of trustees. You are the legal core of any charity, and as such you rank particularly highly in my own legal estimation.
What I am going to do, as briefly as I can, is speak a bit about myself and my journey here, a bit about my priorities for the Commission, and a bit about the Commission’s future relationship with you as trustees.
Some of you will know that I have been a Chancery barrister for the past 28 years, and a Queen’s Counsel since 2014. I have already had a nearly 5-year stint as a Board member at the Commission under William Shawcross. And I have nearly 30 years of volunteering under my belt, beginning with running aid to Bosnian Muslims in the Yugoslavian Civil War in 1992, and following that with being:
- on the Management Committee of Westside Housing
- a Governor of Ilfracombe CC
- a fellow of the Centre of Social Justice
- on the Advisory Board of NCVO
- a volunteer at the Rugby Portobello Trust charity during the Grenfell tragedy
