Stuart Etherington
{{Short description|British charity executive and former social worker (born 1955)}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Sir
| honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|FRSA|size=100%}}
| image = Sir Stuart Etherington.jpg
| alt = Photograph of a man in a suit standing behind a podium so only his upper chest and head are visible. His mouth is open as he is speaking.
| caption = Etherington speaking at the NCVO Annual Conference in 2012.
| office = Chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations
| term_start = 1 February 1994
| term_end = 1 January 2020
| predecessor = Judy Weleminsky
| successor = Karl Wilding
| birth_name = Stuart James Etherington
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1955|2|26}}
| birth_place = Epsom, Surrey, England
| citizenship = United Kingdom
| nationality = British
| alma_mater = Brunel University
University of Essex
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
London Business School, University of London
| awards = Knight Bachelor (2010)
}}
Sir Stuart James Etherington {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|FRSA}} (born 26 February 1955) is a British charity executive and former social worker. From 1994 to 2020, he was chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, with the membership base increasing from 400 to over 14,000.{{Cite web |last=Little |first=Mathew |title=Knighthood for Stuart Etherington |url=https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/knighthood-stuart-etherington/infrastructure/article/1009663 |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=www.thirdsector.co.uk |language=en}} He was previously the chief executive of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People.{{cite web|title=Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive, NCVO|url=https://www.ncvo.org.uk/about-us/whos-who/chief-executive|website=National Council for Voluntary Organisations|access-date=6 February 2016}}{{cite web|title=Sir Stuart Etherington|url=http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/profile/Stuart-Etherington|website=CivilSociety.co.uk|publisher=Civil Society Media Limited|access-date=6 February 2016}}{{cite news|title=Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive, NCVO|url=https://www.theguardian.com/charity-awards/sir-stuart-etherington|access-date=6 February 2016|work=The Guardian|date=1 June 2012}} He received a knighthood in 2010 in recognition of his work for the voluntary and community sectors.{{Citation |last=Payne |first=Malcolm |title=Working in the voluntary and independent sectors |date=2009 |work=Social Work |pages=338–354 |place=London |publisher=Macmillan Education UK |doi=10.1007/978-1-137-08215-2_24 |doi-broken-date=9 April 2025 |isbn=978-0-230-21865-9 |doi-access=free }}
He is now the Chair of the Oversight Trust, Chair of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and Chair of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Charity Effectiveness.{{Cite web |title=Sir Stuart Etherington |url=https://www.oversighttrust.org/sir-stuart-etherington |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=The Oversight Trust |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=vCard |first=Download Sir Stuart's |title=Stuart Etherington |url=http://natcen.ac.uk/about-us/people/trustee/stuart-etherington |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=natcen.ac.uk |language=en-GB}} {{Cite web |title=Advisory board {{!}} Bayes Business School |url=https://www.bayes.city.ac.uk/faculties-and-research/centres/cce/our-people/advisory-board |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=www.bayes.city.ac.uk |language=en}} He is also the Honorary Visiting Professor at the Business School in the Centre for Charity Effectiveness.{{Cite web |title=Advisory board {{!}} Bayes Business School |url=https://www.bayes.city.ac.uk/faculties-and-research/centres/cce/our-people/advisory-board |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=www.bayes.city.ac.uk |language=en}}
He has more recently become Freeman of the City of London and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass in 2021.
Early life and education
Etherington was born on 26 February 1955 in Epsom, Surrey, England{{cite web|title=Stuart James ETHERINGTON|url=http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/85456/Stuart-James-ETHERINGTON|website=People of Today|publisher=Debrett's|access-date=6 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315202357/http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/85456/Stuart-James-ETHERINGTON|archive-date=15 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|last1=Lynch|first1=Andrew|title=Leading edge: Sir Stuart Etherington|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/Appointments/article1196867.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012162325/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/Appointments/article1196867.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 October 2013|access-date=6 February 2016|work=The Sunday Times|date=20 January 2013}} and brought up in Mickleham, Surrey. He was educated at Sondes Place School, an all boys secondary modern in Dorking, Surrey.
Etherington has a number of university degrees. He studied politics at Brunel University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1977.{{cite web|title=Stuart Etherington – 2000|url=http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/people/honorary-graduates/honorary-graduates-2000/stuart-etherington|publisher=Brunel University|access-date=6 February 2016|date=July 2000|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207012341/http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/people/honorary-graduates/honorary-graduates-2000/stuart-etherington|archive-date=7 February 2016|df=dmy-all}} He has a Master of Arts (MA) degree in social service planning from the University of Essex, and a MA degree in international relations and diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He also has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the London Business School, University of London.
He has been awarded honorary doctorates from both Greenwich and Brunel University.{{Cite web |title=Honorary Graduates {{!}} Awards ceremonies |url=https://www.gre.ac.uk/awards-ceremonies/honorary-graduates |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=University of Greenwich |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |title=Honorary Graduates |url=https://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/people/Honorary-graduates |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=www.brunel.ac.uk |language=en-GB}}
He is currently studying Classics, Philosophy and History of Art with City Lit and the Open University.
Career
Etherington began his career as a social worker. He worked in that field between 1977 and 1979, and was based in London Borough of Hillingdon. Then, from 1980 to 1983, he was a researcher for a housing trust. From 1983 to 1985, he worked as a policy advisor to the British Association of Social Workers. He spent the next two years as Director of Good Practices in Mental Health, a small mental health charity.
In 1987, Etherington joined the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) as its Director of Public Affairs. In 1991, he was appoint Chief executive of the RNID; he was aged 35. On 1 February 1994, he moved to become Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).{{cite web|title=NCVO – About us|url=https://www.ncvo.org.uk/about-us|publisher=The National Council for Voluntary Organisations|access-date=26 February 2016}}
From 2002 to 2006, Etherington was a member of the University Court of the Open University. From 2008 to 2013, he was a Pro-Chancellor and the Chair of Court of the University of Greenwich.
Etherington was a member of the Economic and Social Committee of the European Union and the Chair of London United. He was also previously the chair of the trustees of the Patron's Fund and chaired a cross party review looking at the structure of the regulation of fundraising.
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, treasurer of CIVICUS and chair of CIVICUS Europe, council member of the Institute of Employment Studies, an advisory group member for the Policy Centre at the British Academy and for the Lord Mayor's Trust Initiative.
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 the Voluntary Sector and HM Treasury's Cross Cutting Review on the role of the voluntary sector.
In 2017, he authored a report, Voluntary Action: A Way Forward,[https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/news/2017/december/voluntary-action-a-way-forward "Voluntary Action: A Way Forward"], cass.city.ac.uk. Accessed 11 January 2023. which included an extensive range of recommendations for the future of civil society.
Honours
In the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours, Etherington was appointed a Knight Bachelor "for services to the Third Sector".{{London Gazette |issue=59446 |date=12 June 2010 |page=1 |supp=y }} He was invested by Anne, Princess Royal (on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II) during a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace on 25 November 2010.{{cite news|title=Honours and Awards|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-59881-1421625|access-date=6 February 2016|work=The London Gazette|issue=59881|date=16 August 2011}}
In July 2000, Etherington was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) degree by Brunel University. In 2014, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of the University (DUniv) degree by the University of Greenwich "in recognition of his commitment to higher education and to the work of the university over the past decade".{{cite web|title=Greenwich honours Ian Livingstone and Sir Stuart Etherington|url=http://www2.gre.ac.uk/about/news/articles/2014/a2922-greenwich-honours-ian-livingstone-and-sir-stuart-etherington|publisher=University of Greenwich|access-date=6 February 2016|date=18 July 2014}}
Etherington is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). He is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute for Employment Studies.{{cite web|title=IES Honorary Fellows|url=http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/our-people/ies-honorary-fellows|website=Institute for Employment Studies|access-date=6 February 2016}}
References
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Category:Alumni of Brunel University London
Category:Alumni of London Business School
Category:Alumni of SOAS University of London
Category:Alumni of the University of Essex
Category:British chief executives
Category:British nonprofit chief executives
Category:British social workers
Category:National Council for Voluntary Organisations chief executives