William Shawcross was appointed Commissioner for Public Appointments in September 2021. In January 2021 he was appointed as the Independent Reviewer of Prevent.
He was the Chair of the Charity Commission between 2012 and 2018 and became the Special Representative on UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism in March 2019. His previous roles have included membership of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Informal Advisory Panel between 1995 and 2000, and as a member of the Council of the Disasters Emergency Committee, 1997 to 2002. He served on the board of International Crisis Group between 1995 and 2006.
Prior to 2012, William was an independent writer and commentator, having worked as a Foreign Correspondent and written extensively on international affairs. His book, ‘The Quality of Mercy: Cambodia, Holocaust and Modern Conscience’, examined the role of aid agencies in disaster relief. He has also written on the work of the United Nations in 1990s conflict zones in ‘Deliver Us From Evil: Peacekeepers, Warlords, and a World of Endless Conflict’. His other works include ‘Justice and the Enemy: Nuremberg, 9/11, and the Trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’.