The chief executive of On Call Africa will step down to make way for a Zambia-based leader as part of the charity’s localisation efforts.
Ben Margetts, who took up the top job at the Zambia-based healthcare charity in 2019, said he did not have another role lined up but was leaving the charity in March because it is the “right move for the organisation in our localisation journey”.
Under Margetts’ leadership, the charity’s annual income rose from £119,000 in 2019 to a projected £1.4m in 2024, the charity said.
It added that On Call Africa had transitioned from delivering health services and training to “pioneering health system-strengthening programmes co-produced with the Zambian Ministry of Health, health workers and communities”.
The charity said it has been exploring ways to localise its work for the past 18 months, including by increasing Zambian representation on its board and revising internal reporting structures to empower staff.
As part of these efforts, the charity is looking to appoint a chief executive who is based in Zambia and is shortlisting candidates from a “really impressive field”, said Margetts.
He added that shortlisted candidates would go through three interview stages led by staff and trustees. The charity hopes to offer the role to a candidate in August, aiming to have Margetts’ successor in post by the end of the year.
The charity said it aimed to align its leadership more closely with the needs of the Zambian health system and ensure that decision-making was vested in those proximate to the work.
Margetts spent three years of his time in post based in Zambia and had close connections with the charity’s stakeholders and partner communities, which he said made his role “much easier”.
Since returning to the UK in 2022, he said the charity had been increasing the responsibility held by its Zambian staff and “made some really positive steps in localisation”.
“Having experienced the role in Zambia and from the UK, I am acutely aware of the importance of a proximate leader. When I made the decision to step down I recommended that trustees consider replacing me with a chief executive who would be based in Zambia.”
Margetts said: “Now feels like the right time to hand over the reins to a new chief executive who is proximate to our work, has greater contextual understanding, and is better placed to ensure that we are co-producing and delivering high-quality programmes that meet locally identified needs.
“I strongly believe that a chief executive based in Zambia will provide greater support for our fantastic staff (the majority of whom are based in Zambia), will help to strengthen our work, and respond to opportunities and needs.”