Hospital charity drafts in former Comic Relief COO as interim boss

St George’s Hospital Charity has appointed Comic Relief’s former chief operations officer Alex Botha has its interim chief executive.

He had been COO at Comic Relief for three years until 2022 and was most recently interim CEO at Toynbee Hall.

Botha has also worked for Deloitte and lives locally to the London based hospital.

"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,” said Botha.

“I am excited to be working with this wonderful Charity and people focussed on helping St George’s Hospital.”

The hospital charity is set to start recruiting for a permanent CEO in the autumn.

“We are very pleased to welcome Alex to the Charity,” said its chair Anna Walker.

“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 replaces Amerjit Chohan, who left this month after five years leading the charity.

“Amerjit has been an incredible ambassador for St George’s in our local communities, and I want to thank him for his relentless hard work. I’m sad to say goodbye but know that the difference he has made will be felt for years to come,” said Jacqueline Totterdell, group chief executive for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.