The Charity Commission has appointed Nick Baker, deputy chief constable at Staffordshire Police Force, to its new role of chief operating officer.
Baker joins the regulator having previously served in a number of senior leadership roles within Staffordshire Police Force, including as the National Police Chiefs lead for digital forensics and technical surveillance units, and temporary chief constable of the force between November 2019 and March 2020.
In his role as deputy chief constable, Baker was responsible for overseeing a number of areas including people services, corporate communications, professional standards and force transformation.
In a press release, the commission said the chief operating officer role was a new post introduced to “drive forward internal improvements that will ensure continued progress against its ambitious strategy.”
Baker will be responsible for key corporate functions including HR, finance, governance, risk and assurance.
In a statement, Helen Stephenson, chief executive of the Charity Commission, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Nick to my senior team.”
“His experience of both policing in the public interest and leading the support functions of the Force stand him in good stead to lead this new function at the commission. Nick’s impressive technical knowledge and skills will equip us well to move forward confidently in delivering on our strategy.”
Baker commented: “Charity relies on good people coming together to make a difference and improve peoples’ lives. I am excited to support this by helping underpin the commission’s work in the public interest.
“The commission has a very clear vision – I am looking forward to working with my new teams and helping to put its ambitious plans into action.”
Baker is expected to take up the chief operating officer role in August 2020.