New Chairman takes up joint role

01 December 2022 - Charles Alexander joins King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trusts

Charles Alexander has today started in his new role as Joint Chairman of King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trusts.

Charles joins from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, where he has been Chairman since 2016.

He succeeds Sir Hugh Taylor, who served as Chairman of King’s College Hospital since 2019, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ since 2011.

Charles has had a long and distinguished career working at board level across a number of different sectors, including the roles of Managing Director of international corporate and project finance at NM Rothschild, and President of GE Capital Europe. He is currently Chairman of VIVID Housing, a leading Housing Association and Housing Development Company in southern England, a role he has held since July 2021.

Charles has also served on a number of other boards including at the English National Opera and as the Lead Non-Executive Director at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. He is a strong supporter of the arts, and chairs The Countess of Munster Musical Trust and the musical charity Opera Rara. He spent 6 years volunteering with Trinity Hospice, providing support to patients and families at the end of life, and he was made a CBE in 2022 for his services to culture and health.

On being appointed to the role in July, Charles Alexander said:

“It is a great privilege to have been entrusted with this position by the Councils of Governors of two of London and the UK’s most distinguished healthcare institutions. I share the values and ambitions of both as they take forward their plans for better healthcare for all in the communities they serve. I greatly look forward to meeting patients and staff of both Trusts on the ground to experience first-hand the outstanding service they provide.”

Welcoming Charles’ appointment earlier this year, Professor Clive Kay, Chief Executive at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“Along with the rest of the Board, I am delighted to welcome Charles to King’s, and look forward to working closely with him to deliver our strategy. Charles will bring a wealth of experience to our organisations and, as we emerge from the pandemic, his experience will be invaluable as we explore and adopt more innovative ways of working. Alongside colleagues at Guy’s and St Thomas’, we are working hard to provide the very best care to patients across South East London and beyond.

“Additionally, I would like to thank Hugh for the superb leadership he has provided over the last three years. Hugh has been a key part of our improvement journey at King’s since 2019, and I know how committed he is to seeing the Trust deliver further improvements for our brilliant staff, as well as our patients, and the communities we serve.”

The appointment of the new Chairman was made jointly by the two Trusts and confirmed at special meetings of both Council of Governors on 1 July. This followed a recruitment process and recommendation led by the two nominations committees who formed a Committee in Common for this purpose.