The Brain Tumour Charity has appointed an interim chief executive, who will replace its former boss just seven months after he took up the position.
Graham Norton, who currently sits on the charity’s board of trustees, will fill the role temporarily.
Former chief executive Alex Lochrane stepped down from his position at the end of last week after joining in January.
Lochrane was appointed chief executive in January of this year, after spending six and a half years leading Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
A spokesperson for The Brain Tumour Charity told Third Sector that Lochrane’s departure was a “personal decision taken by Alex, following a period of careful consideration and reflection”.
They added: “To have another change of leadership so soon was of course not planned, but we completely respect Alex’s decision and wish him all the very best for the future.”
Norton will remain in the position while the charity recruits a permanent successor. The spokesperson confirmed this process is already underway.
Another member of the charity’s board of trustees, Graham Lindsay, will take up the position of interim deputy chief executive – a new, part-time role created to assist Norton – in the meantime.
Lochrane will take on a new role as a trustee of Portsmouth Cathedral, and will continue his volunteering with the RNLI as well as spending more time with his family.
He described leaving his role as a “very difficult decision. It has been an immense privilege to lead such an extraordinary team and organisation over the last five months, and I am grateful to the charity’s passionate and talented staff for all their support and commitment from my very first day.
“The scale and pace of the charity’s ambition to accelerate much-needed change on brain tumours make this an exceptionally rewarding and demanding role; a role in which I have learned a huge amount.”
Both interim appointments are subject to the approval of the Charity Commission.
Norton, a chartered accountant, became a trustee of the charity’s legacy organisation, the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust, in 2003, after the death of his son three years prior.
He said: “I hope I can bring not only my own personal experience and passion in memory of my son but a vast knowledge of the charity, its aims and vision, its history and its purpose, to support the team to continue delivering such impact for so many people affected by this devastating disease.”