Chair & Trustee (Chair of Grants, Arts and Impact Committee) St George's Hospital Charity

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Chair & Trustee (Chair of Grants, Arts and Impact Committee) St George's Hospital Charity Join St George's Hospital Charity Board and help us build a healthier tomorrow for the communities we serve.

• Location: London

St George's Hospital Charity is currently recruiting for two key roles: a Chair of Trustees and an additional Trustee who will serve as Chair of the Grants Arts and Impact Committee.

The Chair provides leadership to the Board with prime responsibility for ensuring it has agreed priorities, appropriate structures, processes and a collaborative, productive culture. The Chair also acts as a key ambassador for the Charity, working closely with the Charity CEO and other stakeholders.

The Chair of the Grants, Arts and Impact Committee provides leadership to the Committee on behalf of the Board, ensuring effective oversight of grants and arts activity, and the measuring and reporting of impact. This role also supports the Board in making informed, transparent decisions about funding and charitable programmes.

Both of these roles are crucial to the success of implementing our newly agreed, ambitious growth strategy.

Both of the roles start on Wednesday 1st April 2026.

Who we are St George's Hospital Charity is the official Charity of St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ("the Trust"), supporting St George's Hospital, Queen Mary's Hospital and the wider community. The Charity funds vital improvements to facilities, pioneering research, and innovative projects that enhance the experience of patients, families, and staff and go above and beyond what the NHS can provide. Working closely with the Trust, City St George's, University of London, and the local community, the Charity is committed to building a healthier tomorrow for everyone it serves.

The Charity has been embracing exciting new opportunities and increasing its impact since it became fully independent of the NHS in 2017. Today, we support around 180 projects every year that:

• Drive solutions on the ground. St George's Hospital Charity provides grants that empower the dedicated staff at St George's Hospital and Queen Mary's Hospital to identify needs and deliver practical solutions where they are most needed.
• Advance research and innovation. The Charity funds research and innovation that are essential to the future of the NHS. In partnership with others, it helps turn new ideas into impactful healthcare solutions that benefit patients at St George's and beyond.
• Improve the hospital experience. St George's Hospital Charity is committed to ensuring that everyone who visits the hospitals has the best possible experience. Through its arts programme, engagement activities and investment in enhanced hospital environments, the Charity strives to make every visit more positive and welcoming.
• Bridge the gap. The Charity funds projects that promote health equity and support initiatives designed to meet the diverse needs of the community. This involves working with the Trust to support them in delivering the NHS policy of shifting healthcare, where appropriate, from the hospital to the community.

St George's Hospital Charity is recruiting a new Chair of the Charity Board and an additional Trustee who will serve as Chair of the Grants, Arts and Impact Committee.

2026 will mark the end of Anna Walker's distinguished tenure as Chair of St George's Hospital Charity. In the last few years, she and the Board have recruited and supported the embedding of the new CEO and senior leadership team, and worked with them to develop and launch the strategy.

The new Chair will build on this work, supporting and empowering the executive team and Board members through the next phase of the Charity's development. Partnership with the NHS Trust, City St George's, University of London and the community of current and potential supporters and beneficiaries is vital, and the new Chair and Board will work with the Executive Team to enhance these.

St George's Hospital Charity already makes a vital difference, but growing its value, reputation and impact further is key. To grow as a Charity, fundraising and diversifying and enhancing income-generating streams will be crucial over the next few terms of the Board. These are areas that the new Chair must be motivated to champion in line with the Charity's potential and ambitions.

Who we are looking for We are looking for an individual with:

• Significant chairing experience across sectors and good Charity governance knowledge. Gravitas, diplomacy and the ability to chair a meeting well and galvanise an effective Board Team are required key attributes.
• Experience of being an ambassador and/or senior representative of a significant organisation.
• Commercial growth skills and mindset to empower the expansion and diversification of the Charity financially.
• Understanding of the NHS/healthcare and/or the impact of health challenges.
• Passion for the ambitions of St George's Hospital Charity and local community engagement.
• Appreciation of EDI and diversity of thought at the Board.
• Ability to give 3-4 days a month and to lean in more when needed.

Trustee (Chair of Grants, Arts and Impact Committee): We are looking for an individual with:

• Experience in grant-making or clear evidence of relevant skills.
• Leadership and governance skills and understanding.
• Understanding of the NHS/healthcare and/or the impact of health challenges.
• Passion for the ambitions of St George's Hospital Charity and local community engagement.
• Appreciation of EDI and diversity of thought at the Board.
• Ability to give 2 days a month.
• The role entails maximising and communicating the impact of the Charity's charitable giving and ensuring its grant-giving processes are effective yet not unduly bureaucratic.

In addition to the above skills, for both roles, we seek Board members with an appreciation for the needs of the local community that the Charity serves and an understanding of the socioeconomic and health challenges that they face.

Our beneficiaries come from a diversity of backgrounds, and we are committed to continually enhancing the depth of our understanding of our beneficiaries and their needs across the Charity and through the Board.

For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

If you would like to know more about this role please contact Marie McQuade

On behalf of all of us at St George's Hospital Charity, I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to you as we launch a recruitment campaign for the following positions:

• Trustee (Chair of the Grants, Arts and Impact Committee).

As the outgoing Chair, I can tell you that you will join a skilled and motivated Board and Executive Team at a time of real energy and ambition for the Charity.

We launched our new strategy, Healthier Together, in 2024/25 with the aim of raising £11 million over five years to improve health outcomes and hospital experiences for patients, families, and staff. The strategy sets out our plan for sustained, long-term growth, designed to build the Charity's impact over time. And we're already seeing that ambition in action.

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the country's largest teaching hospitals in London, with an excellent reputation for quality of care. Innovative research-led treatment across a wide range of specialisms, including cardiac care, neurosciences, traumatic brain injury, and lymphoedema, has garnered national and international attention.

We are proud to partner with the Trust and City, St George's University to create a healthier tomorrow for the staff, patients and the wider local community they serve. Last year alone, we delivered an average of 180 projects that directly benefited over 22,000 people. Through our five new strategic objectives, we're supporting frontline staff with practical solutions, investing in research and innovation to improve care both now and in the future, tackling health inequities by helping people stay well beyond hospital walls, and enhancing the hospital experience through our arts programme and improvements to the environment.

But there is more to do. Looking ahead, our Trustees will have the opportunity to continue to implement our new strategic objectives, grow our fundraising ambitions and sharpen our focus to make our grant giving even more impactful.

In 2022, we launched our largest-ever appeal, 'Time for a Change', with the aim of raising £5m to refurbish and transform the children's wards. We have raised an astonishing £3.4m, and over the next 18 months, we will be working hard to raise the remaining £1.6m.

The Charity's support has never been more vital. Our Trust and communities continue to face ongoing challenges, including unprecedented demand for NHS services, pressure on front-line staff, resource constraints and challenging economic conditions. Despite the current challenges, we continue to work hard to expand our fundraising and increase our impact, working hand-in-hand with the people and communities affected by these pressures. The NHS needs our support more now than ever.

The roles of Chair and Trustee (Chair of Grants, Arts and Impact Committee) offer an opportunity to make a significant impact across the communities we serve . click apply for full job details