The government has named the charity sector leaders joining its newly created expert body to support Civil Society Covenant implementation.

Last year the government announced that the Civil Society Council would be chaired by NCVO chief executive Kate Lee and will work with ministers on the Covenant, which aims to improve charity involvement in policy making and delivery.

Almost 600 people applied to join the Council and final members were selected “to reflect a broad mix of experience, expertise and geographic representation”, said the government.

The 12 sector leaders joining Kate Lee are:

• Matt Hyde OBE – CEO of Lloyds Bank Foundation
• Gemma Peters – CEO of Macmillan Cancer Support
• Dame Clare Moriarty – CEO of Citizens Advice
• Mark Russell OBE – CEO of The Children’s Society
• Emma de Closset – CEO of UK Community Foundations
• Charlotte Hill OBE – CEO of The Felix Project & FareShare
• Bishop Rob Wickham - CEO of the Church Urban Fund
• Dr Tessy Ojo CBE – CEO of The Diana Award
• Maddy Desforges OBE – CEO of NAVCA
• Saeed Atcha MBE DL – CEO of Youth Leads UK
• Innes Morgan – Director and Founder of Act with Purpose
• Dr Lindsay Cordery-Bruce – CEO of WCVA

The council will meet four times a year, with its first meeting to take place next month.

“The Council will drive a new approach to partnership with civil society, overseeing implementation of the Civil Society Covenant at national and local level,” said the government.

It added that it will provide a central forum to address issues that cut across government, including social cohesion and public service commissioning, and to identify opportunities for civil society to play a greater role in the design and delivery of policies and services.

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