Appointment of Chief Commissioner to the Board of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

1. The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) was established as the regulator of charities operating in Northern Ireland following the enactment of the Charities (Northern Ireland) Act 2008. The main functions of CCNI are to keep a public register of charities; encourage, facilitate and monitor compliance with charity law; determine charity status; identify and investigate misconduct in charity administration and take remedial or protective action as necessary.

2. The board of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland comprises a Chief Commissioner, a Deputy Chief Commissioner and five Commissioners. The Chief Commissioner receives remuneration of £5,750 per annum.

3. The appointment has been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s (CPA NI) Code of Practice. 

4. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published.

5. Biographical Details

Mrs Nicole Lappin

Mrs Lappin is a qualified barrister and Chair of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and Social Care Trust for which she receives £22,997 per annum. In this role she has experience of engaging and consulting with stakeholders to take forward service delivery changes. She has served on a number of other boards, including the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Services, increasing her governance and budget management skills. This enables her to address challenges facing diverse organisations. In the last 5 years she has undertaken political activity for the Democratic Unionist Party.

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