THE board of trustees of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) have announced that there will be the new group chief executive.

The board has announced that Paul Kissack will take on the role.

Mr Kissack is currently a director general in the UK Government working on the national response to the Covid-19 crisis.

He has held other director general roles including at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). He has also held senior roles in HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, and a local authority, and has worked throughout his career on economic and social policy issues and public service reform.

On his new role, Mr Kissack said: “I feel honoured to be joining such an outstanding organisation, to help build on its proud tradition of inspiring change and strengthening communities.”

Mr Kissack is expected to take up the York-based role by September.

Will Haire, chair of trustees, said: “Paul combines enthusiasm for our goals with a measured understanding of their scale, world class leadership skills and a demonstrable commitment to the values that thread the constituent parts of the group.”