Campbell Robb is to leave his position as chief executive at Shelter after being appointed as the new chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT).

Campbell will take up the post in January 2017, succeeding current chief executive Julia Unwin CBE, who is stepping down from her role at the end of December 2016 after leading the organisations for the past 10 years.

JRF is an independent organisation working to inspire social change through research, policy and practice, and has become a leading independent voice on the major social challenges facing the UK today.

Based in York, and with a presence in each of the four nations of the UK, JRF launched the first comprehensive strategy to solve poverty in the UK in September, which will form the basis of its next phase of development.

JRHT is a registered housing association and care provider in York and north-east England. Together the organisations work for social change in the UK by researching the root causes of social problems and developing solutions.

Campbell Robb is currently the chief executive of Shelter, a post he has held for the past seven years. In that time, he has overseen a number of key transformative projects for the organisation including the 2014 programme for the next government to build more homes; the development of Shelter’s service to deliver support and advice to more people than ever before in innovative ways, based on service user behaviour; and an ambitious growth programme in fundraising and partnerships.

Prior to joining Shelter, Campbell was the first director general of the Office of the Third Sector, and was previously director of public policy at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

Tony Stoller, chair of Trustees, said: “The organisations are looking forward to Campbell’s leadership at a time of extraordinary change and opportunity. He brings a strong track record and commitment to our vision for a prosperous and poverty free UK.

“Julia has been an outstanding leader of JRF and JRHT during her ten years as Chief Executive and has overseen major changes in our research, policy, housing and care work. She leaves both organisations in a strong position to build on their achievements under her leadership, and take them to the next stage of their development.”

Campbell Robb added: “I am absolutely delighted to become JRF and JRHT’s new Chief Executive. For the last 100 years the organisations have championed the cause of the most excluded in society, and has made a very real and positive difference to the way the UK tackles the endemic poverty that has scarred it for generations.

“Julia Unwin has been an inspirational leader and will be a very hard act to follow. Under her leadership the organisation has developed a comprehensive set of proposals that should inspire all of us to work together to finally bring an end to poverty in the UK. Our challenge will be to build the partnerships across the political parties, across nations and across sectors that can make this a reality over the coming years.”

Julia Unwin will go onto pursue a number of new opportunities following her departure, including chairing a two-year inquiry into the future of civil society.