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Professor Stephen Lee

Professor Stephen Lee

Chief Executive of Centre Forum

Having undertaken degrees at Huddersfield University, the London School of Economics and later taught at Lancaster University, Professor Lee entered the voluntary sector in 1982 as Deputy Chief Executive at the Charities Advisory Trust and Directory of Social Change. 

Following further senior appointments in the not-for-profit sector Professor Lee held the post of Director of the Institute of Fundraising (IOF) for a period of eleven years from 1987 to 1998.

During this period he established himself as a leading authority on marketing, governance, corporate social responsibility, non-profit management and business ethics issues.

From 1998 – 2001 he supported the development of the consulting division at Kingston Smith Chartered Accountants, engaging in a wide variety of commercial assignments.

He has been College Secretary at Henley Management College and Faculty Director Strategy and Professor of Marketing at Henley Business School (University of Reading) where he also established and ran the Centre for Voluntary Sector Management. 

He has also been a Senior Research Fellow, South Bank University Business School and taught graduate programmes at University of Utrecht Business School, Erasmus (NL), Bristol Business School (UWE) the University of Geneva and in the Department of Business & Management at Bath Spa University.

Professor Lee has published widely in the fields of non-profit and fundraising management; reputation management and corporate governance.

Principle current research interests include the maintenance of public trust and confidence in contemporary institutions; reputation management and corporate responsibility; non-profit management and ethical, corporate governance and regulatory issues. 

A Fellow of the RSA and one of only four Honorary Fellows of the Institute of Fundraising, in September 2000 he received the inaugural, Professional Fundraising Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Stephen Lee combines his role as Chief Executive at Centreforum with his role as Professor of Voluntary Sector Management at Cass Business School, City University.