Sir Stuart James Etherington, (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 The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England. It is a registered charity (no 225922). NCVO works to support the voluntary and community sector and to create an ...

, with the membership base increasing from 400 to over 14,000. He was previously the chief executive of the

Royal National Institute for Deaf People The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), known as Action on Hearing Loss from 2011 to 2020, is a charitable organization working on behalf of the UK's 9 million people who are deaf or have hearing loss. History The Royal National I ...

. He received a knighthood in 2010 in recognition of his work for the voluntary and community sectors. He is now the Chair of th
Oversight Trust
Chair of NatCen and Chair of the Advisory Board of th
Centre for Charity Effectiveness
He is also the Honorary Visiting Professor at the Business School in the Centre for Charity Effectiveness. 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 Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

, Surrey, England and brought up in

Mickleham, Surrey Mickleham is a village in south east England, between the towns of Dorking and Leatherhead in Surrey. The civil parish covers and includes the hamlet of Fredley. The larger ecclesiastical parish includes the majority of the neighbouring villag ...

. He was educated at Sondes Place School, an all boys

secondary modern A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usually ...

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

, Surrey. Etherington has a number of university degrees. He studied politics at

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...

and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1977. He has a Master of Arts (MA) degree in

social service Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

planning from the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the an ...

, and a MA degree in

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

and diplomacy from the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. He also has a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

(MBA) degree from the

London Business School London Business School (LBS) is a business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London. LBS was founded in 1964 and awards post-graduate degrees (Master's degrees in management and finance, MBA and PhD). Its motto is " ...

, University of London. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from both Greenwich and Brunel University. 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 The London Borough of Hillingdon () is the largest and westernmost borough in West London, England. It was formed from the districts of Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the ceremonial county ...

. Then, from 1980 to 1983, he was a researcher for a

housing trust In Ireland and the United Kingdom, housing associations are private, non-profit making organisations that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in need of a home. Any budget surplus is used to maintain existing housing and to help fin ...

. From 1983 to 1985, he worked as a policy advisor to the

British Association of Social Workers The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) is the largest professional association of registered social workers and qualified care managers in the United Kingdom. The association has a members' code of ethics that outlines best social work ...

. He spent the next two years as Director of Good Practices in Mental Health, a small

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

charity. In 1987, Etherington joined the

(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

(NCVO). During his leadership, the NCVO has increased its membership greatly: it numbered over 12,000 organisations. From 2002 to 2006, Etherington was a member of the University Court of the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

. From 2008 to 2013, he was a Pro-Chancellor and the Chair of Court of the

University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along with it ...

. Etherington was a member of the Economic and Social Committee of the European Union and the Chair o
London United
He was also previously the chair of the trustees of th
Patron's Fund
and chaired
cross party review
looking at the structure of the regulation of fundraising. He has been a trustee o
Business in the Community
th
chair of the BBC Appeals Advisory Committee
a member of the Community and Social Affairs Committee of

Barclays Bank Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

, former chair o
Guidestar UK
treasurer of

CIVICUS CIVICUS is an international non-profit organisation, which describes itself as “a global alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world." Founded in 1993, the organisation today counts more than 8500 memb ...

and chair of CIVICUS Europe, council member of th
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 repor
'Voluntary action: A way forward'
which included an extensive range of recommendations for the future of civil society.

Honours

In the

2010 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2010 Birthday Honours for the Commonwealth realms were announced to celebrate the Queen's Birthday on 7 June 2010 in New Zealand, on 12 June 2010 in the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Sain ...

, Etherington was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

"for services to the Third Sector", and therefore granted the title ''sir''. He was knighted by

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

(on behalf of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

) during a ceremony held at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

on 25 November 2010. In July 2000, Etherington was awarded an honorary

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

(DSc) degree by

. In 2014, he was awarded an honorary

Doctor of the University An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

(DUniv) degree by the

"in recognition of his commitment to higher education and to the work of the university over the past decade". Etherington is an elected

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

(FRSA). He is an

Honorary Fellow Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...

of the

Institute for Employment Studies The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) is a British centre of research and consultancy on human resources and employment. Its research is frequently cited in the mainstream national media. The Institute's aim is to "help bring about sustainabl ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etherington, Stuart 1955 births Living people People from Epsom Alumni of Brunel University London Alumni of the University of Essex Alumni of SOAS University of London Alumni of London Business School British social workers British nonprofit chief executives British chief executives Knights Bachelor