Governance at Which?

As an organisation we're not-for-profit. Our campaigning work on behalf of all UK consumers is entirely funded by our commercial activities. We remain financially independent of government funding and charitable donations.

The charity (Consumers' Association)

The Council of Trustees of the Consumers' Association is the governing body of the Which? Group as a whole. The Consumers' Association is a registered charity, regulated by the Charity Commission, and its trustees are charity trustees and company directors. Trustees are responsible for setting the strategy for the Group to enable the charity to deliver its charitable purpose and for monitoring and scrutinising delivery of this to ensure the continued success of the Which? Group.

The commercial subsidiary (Which? Limited)

Which? Limited is governed by its own Board, which sets and oversees the commercial direction of Which?, including our magazines, paid-for digital products, legal advice service, Which? Money Helpline, Which? Switch, Which? Trusted Traders, wills and power of attorney services, and Which? Money Compare, with the aim of delivering a long-term sustainable financial return for the charity. Which? Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Consumers' Association. The Board of Which? Limited is appointed by the Council of Trustees. 

Day-to-day

Our chief executive, Anabel Hoult, looks after the day-to-day running of Which?, with the support of her leadership team and 700 staff based in Cardiff and London.

Committees

The Council delegates responsibilities to the following committees which support its work in overseeing the entire organisation. The Council determines the remit and membership of each committee.

Which? at a glance

Find out more

As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency around our governance, we have published our Conflicts of Interests policy. This explains the approach we take to identifying, preventing and recording any conflicts of interest between Council trustees (and subsidiary directors) and their outside interests. The policy is available below, along with more information on our governance.

Governance Reviews

The Council of Trustees has committed to undertake Council external effectiveness reviews every three years, as recommended by the Charity Governance Code. We report on the outcome of governance and effectiveness reviews in our annual report each year.

_{*Which? is the trading name of the Which? Group, wholly owned by the Consumers' Association.}

_{The Consumers' Association is registered in England and Wales as a charity (296072), regulated by the Charity Commission, and as a company limited by guarantee (580128). Which? Limited is its wholly owned trading subsidiary, also registered in England and Wales (677665). Registered Office Address: 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF.}