Sir Stuart Etherington was Chief Executive of NCVO until October 2019. Previously he was Chief Executive of the RNID. Stuart is a member of the Economic and Social Committee of the European Union and recently retired from his role as the Chair of London United. He was chair of the trustees of the Patron's Fund and chaired a cross party review looking at the structure of the regulation of fundraising. He is also an IES Honorary Fellow.

He has been a trustee of Business in the Community, the chair of the BBC Appeals Advisory Committee, a member of the Community and Social Affairs Committee of Barclays Bank, former chair of Guidestar UK, treasurer of CIVICUS and chair of CIVICUS Europe, council member of the Institute of Employment Studies, an advisory group member for the Policy Centre at the British Academy and for the Lord Mayor's Trust Initiative.

His Government appointments have included the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit’s Advisory Board on the Voluntary Sector and HM Treasury’s Review of the Voluntary Sector.