Orlando Fraser has announced he will step down as chair of the Charity Commission at the end of his term next year.

Speaking at the regulator’s annual public meeting in central London today (26 November), Fraser said that he agreed with culture secretary Lisa Nandy to leave his post in April, when his term ends.

The regulator said that the next chair would be appointed by the culture secretary in line with public appointments guidance, with more details expected in due course.

The departing chair said he planned on going back to the private sector after spending more than seven years in total at the regulator – having served more than four years as a board member before becoming chair in 2022.

“I will leave with great pride in what we at the commission have achieved together over the past few years, and optimism for the future,” Fraser told attendees.

The Charity Commission has been “rigorous” in its response to the impact of “awful” international events on the charity sector, Fraser said.

“In this context we have opened more than 200 regulatory cases relating to the conflict in the Middle East since then, involving charities with different views on the conflict, and made more than 40 referrals to the police where we considered that a criminal offence might have been committed.

“We are clear that charities must never become vehicles for hate, and we have robustly enforced that position.”

The chair highlighted the regulator’s plans to encourage a “new age” of philanthropic giving in the UK.

“Philanthropy is much more of a positive buzzword now – and support from successive governments on this issue means that philanthropy’s important role in our society’s success is increasingly more acknowledged, and less ignored,” Fraser said.

The chair said he was delighted to have encouraged the philanthropist Rory Brooks to join the regulator’s board last year and lead this work on its behalf.

“Rory is ensuring that we are sharing our treasure trove of data to help push this forward, as well as acting as a convenor for major figures across Whitehall, the sector, and business to forward our common objectives,” Fraser said.

The chair also spoke about political campaigning, which he said had “long been a divisive issue” within the sector with “dispirate voices from within and beyond” pushing for shifts in the regulator’s approach.

Fraser said: “I saw that a lot of this was driven by unfounded anxieties that somehow the right of charities to campaign politically was being unfairly curtailed by the commission, or, conversely, that the commission was failing to apply any limits to such campaigning.

“I have therefore ensured that the commission has been consistent and clear in a balanced message that the law is plain that charities may engage in political campaigning in furtherance of their purposes, and the law also sets clear limits on such campaigning, which the commission would enforce.”

Fraser added that he was “delighted that the evidence from our casework during the most recent general election suggests that charities are increasingly getting this right”, saying: “I believe our clear and succinct messaging has played no small role in this welcome development.”