Minister for the Third Sector, Angela Smith, has announced the appointments of Irene Khan and John Knight as board members of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

John Knight replaces Tess Woodcraft who stepped down in April this year, and Irene Khan will replace John Williams whose appointment comes to an end in January 2010.

Khan has been secretary general for Amnesty International, prior to which she worked UN high commissioner for refugees in a variety of roles.

Knight has over twenty years experience across the statutory and voluntary sectors, and has for the last fifteen years been at Leonard Cheshire Disability.

Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector said: “I am pleased to announce the appointments of Irene Khan and John Knight to the Charity Commission board.

"Charities play a vital role in our society and the Government wants to create the right conditions for them to thrive. We are fortunate to have a World-leading regulator in the Charity Commission, and I know that John and Irene’s combined wealth of knowledge and experience will be of considerable benefit to the Commission.”

Dame Suzi Leather, Chair of the Charity Commission said: “I am very pleased indeed to be able to welcome to the board two such talented and experienced individuals as John and Irene.

“I am delighted that John is joining us as a Commission board member. He brings such a wealth of experience from the charity sector, in particular his extensive knowledge of policy development, campaigning, experience of regulation and his specialist understanding of disability issues.

“Equally, I am thrilled to welcome Irene - not only because of her broad experience of sectoral issues but also because of her exceptional understanding of the complex national and international context in which charities and other non-governmental bodies operate, through her many years' experience particularly of Human Rights issues with UNHCR and most recently through her work with Amnesty International.

"Both appointments will bring particular and valuable insights to the board's decision-making and will complement the expertise we are fortunate to have amongst our existing board members.”

Khan and Knight will sit alongside existing board members Simon Jones, Sharmila Nebhrajani, Dr Andrew Purkis OBE, Theo Sowa, Simon Wethered, and John Wood.