Member Profile - Mr Robert Purkiss MBE

Co-opted independent member

Bob Purkiss MBE is an independent adviser on race equality and diversity issues, together with broader employment advisory issues, working on a broad portfolio of national and international projects with public and private sector clients. In March 2004 he completed his term of office as Chair of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). Bob had been appointed EUMC UK Representative by the Home Secretary in 1998 and became Vice Chair the same year, before being elected to the post of Chair in March 2001 based in Vienna.

Bob’s current positions include memberships of the Public Appointments Panel of the Department of Trade and Industry, Hampshire Police Authority, Chair of H/R and Professional Standards Committee, Employee Member on Employment Tribunals, the Central Arbitration Committee, Chairman of the Sydenham’s Wessex Football League and past Member Council of Southampton University. He is an adviser to the Professional Footballers Association and has worked with the Premier League and the Football League on Diversity Training.

Previously, Bob was a member of the Community Cohesion Review Team, set up by the Home Office after the 2001 disturbances in some of England’s northern cities. Until 2001, Bob was a Commissioner at the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and Chair of the CRE’s Legal Strategy Committee.  Bob’s background is in the trade union movement for 25 years, and for 11 years he was the National Secretary for Equalities at the Transport and General Workers Union, with responsibilities for race, youth disabilities and sexuality issues. He was also Chair of the Race Relations Committee of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and worked closely with the European TUC on race equality initiatives throughout Europe.