People

Stuart Etherington was appointed Chief Executive of NCVO in 1994. NCVO is a membership organisation that represents the interests of charities and voluntary bodies. It has over 7,500 member organisations. Previously he was Chief Executive of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, a major UK charity. He has four degrees: BA in Politics, MA in Social Planning, MBA from the London Business School and a MA in International Relations and Diplomacy. He has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Brunel University, and is an Honorary Visiting Professor at South Bank University and City University London. Throughout his career he has been involved in the leadership of voluntary organisations and policies surrounding them. As such he has become a leading commentator, both through his writing and his media profile. Stuart is Pro-Chancellor of Greenwich University and a Council Member of the Institute of Employment Studies. He has been a trustee of Business in the Community, the Chair of the BBC Appeals Advisory Committee, a member of the Community and Social Affairs Committee of Barclays Bank, former Chair of Guidestar UK, Chair of CIVICUS Europe, and Treasurer of CIVICUS, a global civil society organisation. His Government appointments have included the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. He has also served on the Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit’s Advisory Board on theVoluntary Sector and HM Treasury’s Cross Cutting Review on the role of the Voluntary Sector. His leisure pursuits include reading political biographies, going to the theatre, opera and film, watching Surrey County Cricket Club and Charlton Athletic. He is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, The Institute of Strategic Studies, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Dickens Society.

Zac Goldsmith was the Editor of the Ecologist Magazine for 10 years. He is the Conservative MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston. He remains Director of the Ecologist. In 2005 he was asked to oversee a wide-ranging review of environmental policy for the Conservative Party. The Quality of Life Policy Review was delivered to David Cameron in September 2007. Many of the recommendations have since become Party Policy. In between his work with The Ecologist and his political campaigns, Zac raises funds for groups around the world dealing with issues ranging from agriculture and energy to conservation and climate change. In 2003 Zac was the recipient of the Beacon Prize for 'Young Philanthropist of the Year'. In 2004, he received the Global Green Award for 'International Environmental Leadership’. In September 2009, Zac’s book, 'The Constant Economy' was released. It looks at the key environmental problems we face, and provides a workable programme for action.

Nick Hurd is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering and the Member of Parliament for Ruislip-Northwood Pinner. Since entering Parliament, Nick has specialised in environmental issues, serving on the Environment Audit Committee which scrutinises the effectiveness of the Government’s policy towards the environment. He was on the Board of the Conservative Party’s Quality of Life Policy Commission, chairing the Climate Change group (2005-2007), and served on the Joint Parliamentary Committee that scrutinised the draft Climate Change Bill. In 2006, Nick successfully took through Parliament a Private Members Bill, the Sustainable Communities Act, which was supported by over ninety national organisations. He was awarded the PRASEG Parliamentarian of the Year Award in 2007 in recognition of his work on the Act. Nick served as an Opposition Whip and member of the Shadow teams for Justice, Communities, and Local Government from 2007 to 2008. In October 2008, he was invited by David Cameron to become Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering.
Nick represents the fourth successive generation of his family to serve as an MP. Nick was born in 1962 and is a graduate of Oxford University. He has four children, two sons and two daughters, by his marriage to Kim. Outside politics his interests lie in sport, music and helping young people realise their potential. Before entering politics he developed a business career over 18 years which gave him the experience of running his own business and representing a British bank in Brazil (1995-1999).