BISHOP Christopher has appointed Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery as the new chair of trustees for our Council for Social Responsibility (CSR).

Sir Jonathan lives in the Bishops Waltham Deanery and worships at his local parish church, All Saints, Botley. He brings extensive experience chairing NHS organisations, national bioethics bodies, and a passion for social justice. He has taken over the chairmanship of the CSR from the Ven Peter Leonard, Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight.

He said: “I am honoured that Bishop Christopher has asked me to take up this role. Social responsibility is at the heart of my Christian service and has long been central to my faith. The Portsmouth Diocesan CSR is one of the oldest examples of such Anglican institutions and an important vehicle for God’s mission. I am delighted to have the opportunity to join it. Peter has established a great platform for an exciting new phase in its work and I am privileged to have chance to shape it with my new colleagues.”

Bishop Christopher said: “I am thrilled at this good news. Jonathan is well known to many of us for having social responsibility at the heart of his faith and brings a huge range experience to CSR as well as commitment to our diocese. He took up the role from 1 January 2021 when Archdeacon Peter Leonard stepped down with our thanks for taking this role alongside his many diocesan responsibilities.”

The Council for Social Responsibility (CSR) is an independent charity based at the Diocese of Portsmouth that runs a number of social programmes at parish and diocesan level (and with partners beyond) in south-east Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. CSR seeks to encourage engagement and leadership in the community by involving people of all faiths and none.

Canon Nick Ralph, director of social enterprise and engagement for CSR said: “I am delighted that Jonathan has agreed to take up this role. It is a huge privilege for us to have the benefit of his knowledge, wisdom and experience, and also very helpful at this particular moment as we consider the next steps for CSR and Good Neighbours. I look forward to working with him over the next few years as we seek to build the common good in this diocese.”

Sir Jonathan Montgomery is Professor of Health Care Law at University College London, and chair of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Previously, he has chaired NHS bodies in Hampshire and Isle of Wight (1998-2013) and held national chair roles at the Human Genetics Commission (2009-12), the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (2012-17), and Health Research Authority (2012-19).

He is a patron of CIS’ters, a Hampshire based survivor-led group for women who, as female children/teens, were raped/sexually abused by a member of their immediate/extended family. He was knighted for services to bioethics and healthcare law in the 2019 New Year Honours.

Sir Jonathan is married to Dr Elsa Montgomery, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at King’s College London whose research interests lie in the maternity care experiences of people who have been sexually abused and who works to improve the care they receive. They have two adult daughters, one a veterinary surgeon and the other a solicitor.