Stephen Pittam

Stephen Pittam

formerly of Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
York, UK

Stephen Pittam started his working life as a community development worker, first in Belfast, and later in London, and he also worked in Palestinian Refugee Camps in Jordan.  These experiences shaped his future career.  In 1986 he was appointed Assistant Trust Secretary to the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (a UK based endowed foundation), later becoming its Deputy and in 2001 being appointed Trust Secretary.  At different times he was responsible for the Trust’s programmes on racial justice, democracy, human rights and corporate accountability in the UK, and on peacebuilding in Ireland.  During his tenure as Trust Secretary, JRCT was voted Britain’s Most Admired Charity (2007) and was awarded the Raymond Georis Prize for Innovative Philanthropy in Europe (2012).  Stephen represented the Trust on the Council of the European Foundation Centre and the Network of European Foundations.  On his retirement in 2012 he joined the global Board of the Global Greengrants Fund and was appointed the founding Chair of GGF’s European board.  He is also a Board Member of the Global Fund for Community Foundations. In the UK he is a Trustee of the Polden Puckham Charitable Foundation and the British Institute of Human Rights and he serves on the Advisory Committee of the Centre for Applied Human Rights at York University.  Locally he is Chair of the York Travellers Trust (working with Gypsies & Travellers) and of the York Human Rights City Network.