Our Board
Our Board has responsibility for our overall strategy and future direction. As an open and accountable organisation we publish a record of all our Board meetings on our website.
Chief Charity Commissioner
Mr Thomas McGrath
Mr. McGrath worked as Regional Director for Marsh Ltd for 34 years. He was previously Chair of the NI Tourist Board (2003-2008), the NI Business Education Partnership (2004-2006) and the George Best Memorial Trust (2006-2007). He served as a Board member of Tourism Ireland (2003-2008) and the Probation Board NI (2000-2003). He was Director of the Ireland Funds (1998-2007) and previously served as a Committee Member of Princes Youth Trust and NSPCC Special Appeal.
Chief Charity Commissioner term of office will be 5 Years. Remuneration £5,000 per annum.
Deputy Chief Charity Commissioner
Ms Paddy Sloan
Ms Sloan is currently National Head of BBC Children in Need in NI and was previously Chief Executive of the NI Human Rights Commission. She serves as a Board Member of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (Ireland Committee) and Community Evaluation NI. She was previously Treasurer of the Committee on the Administration of Justice and the NI Play Development Association.
Deputy Chief Charity Commissioner term of office will be 5 Years. Remuneration £3,000 per annum.
Legally Qualified Charity Commissioner
Ms Rosemary Connolly
Ms Connolly is the principal Solicitor in a specialist employment and equality law practice in Warrenpoint, Co. Down. She has 25 years experience as a serving solicitor. She was appointed to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland for the period from 1999-2003. Other positions include Chair of Newry & Mourne Local Strategy Partnership (1995-1998), Chair/Secretary of Burren Community Forum (1995-date), Director of NI Family Care Society (2006-2008) and Member of the Committee on the Administration of Justice (1995-date).
Legally Qualified Charity Commissioner term of office will be 3 Years. Remuneration £2,000 per annum.
Charity Commissioners
Mr Walter Rader
Mr. Rader was formerly Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund in Northern Ireland. He is a Member of the NI Funders Forum and has previously held positions on the Queen's Golden Jubilee Ministerial Advisory Committee, the Review of Youth Services Policy in the Department of Education and the Youth Council for NI. He was previously Chair of the Police Community Relations Branch Review Panel and Honorary Secretary of the Princes Trust NI.
Charity Commissioner term of office will be 3 Years. Remuneration £2,000 per annum.
Mr Philip McDonagh
Mr. McDonagh has recently retired as a senior management consultant and chief economist with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a member of the NI Statistics Advisory Committee and was previously a member of the Board of Visitors, Belfast Prison and Trustee of the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.
Charity Commissioner term of office will be 3 Years. Remuneration £2,000 per annum.
Ms Angila Chada
Ms. Chada is an Executive Director of Springboard and Board Member of Intercomm. She serves as a member of Belfast City Council's Migrant Forum, Ethnic Minorities Forum and Good Relations Partnership. She was previously Director of the Success Foundation and the Ex Prisoners Interpretative Centre (EPIC). She also served as a member of the Greater Shankill Partnership Training & Economic Development Committee, Shankill Community Forum and Shankill Womens' Forum.
Charity Commissioner term of office will be 3 Years. Remuneration £2,000 per annum.
Mr Paul Cavanagh
Mr Cavanagh is currently the Widening Participation Regional Coordinator for Northern Ireland, and previously worked for Save the Children, Gingerbread and the North West Community Network. He is Chair of Derry Local Strategy Partnership and serves as Committee Member of the NI Big Lottery Fund and Ofcom NI Advisory Committee. He was previously a Board Member of the Community Fund, Volunteer Development Agency and Derry Healthy Cities and a member of the Government Task Force on Resourcing the Voluntary & Community Sector.
Charity Commissioner term of office will be 3 Years. Remuneration £2,000 per annum.
Our Senior Management Team
The Senior Management Team makes decisions involving our day-to-day operation. This team is led by the Chief Executive and includes the Head of Corporate Services and Head of Charity Services. Our Senior Management Team implements the programmes and policies arising from our Board's decisions to ensure we deliver effective services.
Chief Executive
Ms Frances McCandless
Frances McCandless was appointed to the Commission in April 2010 as its first Chief Executive. Prior to taking up this post, Frances was employed as Director of Policy at NICVA, an umbrella body which provides advice, information and policy analysis to the 5,000 voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland. Frances' career in the voluntary and community sector goes back 20 years and she has worked with young people, women returning to work, in housing, with older and disabled people and as an international volunteer in Prague with the YMCA. She has also been a board member of organisations working in the areas of environment, ethnic minorities, reconciliation, community arts, audience development, mediation and physical activity.
Head of Charity Services
Mrs Punam McGookin
Punam McGookin was appointed to the Commission in February 2011 as Head of Charity Services. The role will develop and manage the registration, policy and legal function including the granting of consents. Prior to taking up this post, Punam was seconded to the Commission as Deputy Chief Executive from Big Lottery Fund.
Punam was employed by Big Lottery Fund as a programme manager working on a variety of programmes assessing and managing funding to a wide range of voluntary, community, educational and public sectors bodies. Punam's career working with and for charitable organisations dates back to 1983. She has worked with organisations focussing on the arts, communities, young people, older people, education, environment and heritage, and still volunteers for her local sports club.
Head of Corporate Services & Compliance
Mr Aubrey McCrory
Aubrey was appointed as Head of Corporate Services & Compliance in March 2011. He is responsible for managing the corporate functions of CCNI and leading compliance work with charities in Northern Ireland covering investigations into the mismanagement of charities and annual monitoring.
Aubrey has over fifteen years experience covering regulatory roles in transparency and information rights, and promoting statutory policy and performance development.
