A former Comic Relief chief operating officer, investment banker and business turnaround expert has been named as the interim chief executive of a hospital charity.
Alex Botha has been recruited to lead St George’s Hospital Charity with immediate effect.
Botha replaces Amerjit Chohan, who left this month after five years in the post, saying he wanted to spend time with his young family, having “not had a proper holiday since before the pandemic”.
According to a St George’s press release, Botha is “passionate about helping organisations to be efficient and well managed, to be great stewards and to maximise their impact”.
He qualified as a chartered accountant with Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) and after some time in investment banking completed his MBA at London Business School.
He also had roles as an executive consultant for a major UK construction company and in the business turnaround team of Deloitte. He has held several charity trusteeships.
Botha’s most recent role was interim chief executive of Toynbee Hall and he was chief operating officer of Comic Relief from 2019 to 2022.
Anna Walker, chair of the board of trustees at St George’s Hospital Charity said: “We are very pleased to welcome Alex to the charity. His mix of skills is just what we need for the next stage of the Children’s Appeal and the charity’s development.
“We are all the more pleased that he lives locally and has first-hand experience of St George’s services.”
Botha joins until a permanent chief executive is appointed and the trustees plan to start recruiting for the permanent role in the autumn.
He said: “My family and I live in Wimbledon and St George’s is our local hospital and we have benefited hugely from the fantastic care it provides.
“I am excited to be working with this wonderful charity and people focused on helping St George’s Hospital.”