Justin Forsyth

Justin Forsyth
Alma mater	Oxford Brookes University
Member of	WEF/Global Leaders for Tomorrow/2002, WEF/Young Global Leaders/2006
Former Special Adviser to Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown  Deputy Executive Director In office February 2016 - 22 February 2018 Employer UNICEF  CEO  In office September 2010 - 29 January 2016 Employer Save the Children  Special Adviser to the Prime Minister In office 2004 - 2010  Policy and Campaigns Director In office 1993 - 2003 Employer Oxfam

Justin Forsyth, a former Special Adviser to Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown (2004-2010), CEO at Save the Children (until he left under a cloud on 29 January 2016), and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF with the rank of UN Assistant Secretary-General.

On 22 February 2018, Justin Forsyth resigned from UNICEF, saying:

"I am resigning because of the danger of damaging both UNICEF and Save the Children and our wider cause."

Oxfam

Justin Forsyth started his career with Oxfam as a Policy Adviser on South Africa during the dying days of apartheid, a cause which had been close to his heart as an activist. At Oxfam he rose through the ranks and helped build campaigns on debt cancellation, Africa, Make Trade Fair and access to medicines. In 1995 Justin went out to Washington DC to set up Oxfam International, before returning in 1999 as Policy and Campaigns Director. He helped build Oxfam as a global campaigning force.

Number 10

In 2004, Justin Forsyth was recruited to Number 10 by Tony Blair where he led efforts on poverty and climate change and was one of the driving forces behind the Make Poverty History campaign. He was to stay on under Gordon Brown, becoming his Strategic Communications and Campaigns Director, helping to use new communications strategies to reach the British public on a range of issues from knife crime to climate change.

Save the Labour Party

In March 2015, Fraser Nelson of the Spectator wrote about Forsyth's £139,950 annual salary for 2014::

"You almost have to admire Justin Forsyth’s brass neck. He is a former Gordon Brown spin chief earning a Prime Ministerial £138,000 for running Save the Children. Or, rather, transforming it into Save the Labour Party with various attack ads claiming that kids need to be rescued from wicked Conservative austerity."

In November 2015, the Mail Online reported that Justin Forsyth and Brendan Cox had to leave Save the Children under a cloud. An employee said:

"Several of the women complained about inappropriate behaviour by Brendan. When the charity did nothing about it they threatened to make a huge fuss. Shortly afterwards it was announced that Brendan was leaving. Then we heard Justin was going as well."

 

Related Document

Title	Type	Publication date	Author(s)	Description
Document:Peak Kinnock	Article	19 September 2016	Craig Murray	"11,000 people saving £2 a month might not save a dying little baby, but would exactly pay the £264,000 per year salary of Neil Kinnock’s daughter-in-law Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Chief Executive of Save the Children and wife of MP Stephen Kinnock. Misery for some is a goldmine for others."

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