Ms Fiona Ellis

Fiona Ellis is an independent consultant to the charity sector. Her recent clients have included Comic Relief, the Responsible Gambling Fund and Gamcare, and the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She works regularly for the Association of Charitable Foundations which published her Good Practice Guide for Corporate Foundations.  She has lectured widely on aspects of philanthropy including at conferences in Rome, Berne, Luxembourg, and Copenhagen. In June 2010 by invitation of Philanthropy NZ and the New Zealand government she gave a series of seminars throughout that country.

Fiona was, until March 2009, Director of the Northern Rock Foundation, the foundation set up by the bank of the same name in 1997. Other work in philanthropy includes the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation where she was Assistant Director (Arts) for almost six years and, in a freelance capacity, for the Baring Foundation and the - then - Esmee Fairbairn Charitable Trust. Before that she worked in the arts as, at various times, a community arts worker, stage manager, theatre director, funding officer and director of a rural arts centre.

Fiona currently serves as Vice Chair of the BBC Appeals Advisory Committee; Vice Chair of NAVCA; Trustee of the Nationwide Foundation; Board member of Them Wifies; Governor of Whalton C of E First School; and member of Whalton Village Hall Committee.

Previous posts have included: Chair of NCVO's Funding Commission; Chair of Mission, Models, Money's Capital Matters Taskforce; Vice Chair of Futurebuilders; Comic Relief's UK Grants Committee; Commissioner for the IPPR North Public Services Commission and membership of several theatre boards. She has been a judge for the Charity Awards for the past three years.

Fiona joined Council as a new lay member in August 2011. She is a member of the Audit Committee and Chair of St Cuthbert's Society. During 2010-11 she served as a co-opted member of the Audit Committee.