The Secretary of State has reappointed Richard Collier-Keywood, Dame Helen Stephenson, and Paul Sweeney, and extended the terms of John Mothersole and Kate Still.
Richard Collier-Keywood
Richard Collier-Keywood has been reappointed as a Member for a term of 18 months, commencing on 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2027.
Richard Collier-Keywood holds a variety of prominent roles, primarily as a Chair. He chairs the School for Social Entrepreneurs, Fair4All Finance (the UK financial inclusion organisation funded by dormant assets), New Forest Care (a provider of bespoke care and education to children with complex needs), and the Welsh Rugby Union.
Richard holds several other board positions: Board member and Chair of the finance committee for the Women of the World Foundation; Board member and Chair of the finance committee for St George's House (Windsor Castle); and Non-executive director on the international Board for Eversheds Sutherland LLP.
Previously Richard was a Global Vice-Chairman of PwC from November 2011 to February 2017 and served as Managing Partner of PwC UK from 2008 to 2011. Richard is a barrister and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.
Dame Helen Stephenson
Dame Helen Stephenson has been reappointed as a Member for a term of 18 months, commencing on 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2027.
Her career includes serving as the former Chief Executive and Board Member of the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Before this, she was the Director of Early Years and Child Care at the Department for Education. Earlier in her career, she worked in the Cabinet Office as Director of the Office for Civil Society and Government Innovation Group.
Prior to joining the Civil Service, Helen was Head of Strategic Policy and Partnerships at the Big Lottery Fund. Her experience also spans the statutory and voluntary sectors as a researcher and consultant, and she served as a development manager for a major national charity. She holds a PhD from Bristol University.
Helen is on the Board of the Independent Football Regulator and is a Trustee of The King's Foundation. Furthermore, she is a Board member of the ECB Regulatory Board and serves on the People and Governance Committee at the Royal Academy of Dance.
Helen's contributions have been recognised with a CBE in 2014 and a DBE in the 2024 Birthday Honours for her services to charity and regulation.
Paul Sweeney
Paul Sweeney has been reappointed as a Member and Northern Ireland Chair for a second term of four years, commencing on 18 August 2026 to 17 August 2030. Paul has a wealth of experience working in the voluntary, community and public sectors in Northern Ireland.
From 1987 to 1994, he was the Director of the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, which supported community-based self-help initiatives.
He joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) in 1994, initially on secondment, as an adviser on community development and reconciliation. Throughout his subsequent career in the NICS he held a number of senior positions including Deputy Secretary in the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, Permanent Secretary in the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure and Permanent Secretary in the Department of Education.
Since retiring from the NICS in 2017, Paul has undertaken a trustee role in a number of not-for-profit organisations involved in regeneration, culture and young people.
John Mothersole
John Mothersole's second term as a Member and England Committee Chair has been extended by 2 years from 14 May 2026 to 13 May 2028.
John's extensive career includes senior local government roles in UK cities, culminating in 11 years as Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council until December 2019. Since then, he has focused on non-executive and advisory roles.
His current appointments include Chair of The Sheffield College, a trustee position with a community care charity, and advisory work with companies specialising in regeneration and environment. He was also an assessor for the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry, concluding this role with the final report's publication in September 2024.
John has been a key figure in policy development for UK cities, actively participating in the Core Cities network, the Northern Powerhouse initiative, and working with the Government to secure city and city region devolution deals and participate in trade missions.
More recently, John has been appointed as Trustee of the Historic Royal Palaces. He also chairs the Nature Towns and Cities Panel, a joint initiative by The National Trust, Natural England, and The Heritage Lottery Fund.
His early career was rooted in the arts, primarily in London and the North-East. A key achievement from this period was the reopening of the Roundhouse in London, which paved the way for its subsequent redevelopment.
Kate Still
Kate Still's second term as a Member and Scotland Committee Chair has been extended by 2 years from 14 May 2026 to 13 May 2028.
Kate brings over 30 years of relevant experience, having worked with and for communities across various fields, including grant-making, education, apprenticeships, employability, community enterprise, and regeneration. She is deeply committed to addressing issues of poverty, equality, diversity, and social justice.
Her extensive career spans senior roles in the public, private, and charity sectors. In July 2024, she was appointed by the Scottish Government to lead the independent review of Community Learning and Development, which resulted in the report "Learning For All. For Life."
Remuneration and Governance Code
Board Members of The National Lottery Community Fund are remunerated at £7,848 per annum.
The Chairs of the England and Scotland Committee of The National Lottery Community Fund are both remunerated at £24,000.
The Chair of the Northern Ireland Committee of The National Lottery Community Fund is remunerated at £29,232.
These appointments have been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments . The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments .
Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election.
Richard Collier-Keywood, Dame Helen Stephenson, Paul Sweeney, Kate Still and Paul Sweeney have declared no political activity.
Notes
DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 42 Public Bodies including Arts Council England, Theatres Trust, the National Gallery, UK Sport and the Gambling Commission. We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom.
