Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Children's Charity has appointed Liz Tait as its first director of fundraising.
She joins from the Teenage Cancer Trust, where she was director of fundraising since 2018. She has worked in the charity sector for over 20 years, including eight leading the fundraising team at Battersea. She is also a trustee of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.
Last week, Kate Collins, CEO of Teenage Cancer Trust, announced on Twitter that Tait would be leaving the charity, which is now recruiting for her replacement.
The role of director of fundraising is new at GOSH, the charity said, adding that Tait “will be responsible for leading a broad range of fundraising functions with the remit to grow and diversify income”.
Tait said: “I am delighted to be joining the team at GOSH Charity at such a critical time. The hospital is a much-loved national institution, and as a fundraiser I am so inspired at the thought of supporting the children, young people and families that it cares for.
“The sector is facing a challenging time with the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on fundraising, but I am looking forward to joining a fantastic team and I can’t wait to start working alongside them to meet this challenge.”
The charity has also appointed Bill Cunningham as director of finance and resources. He joins from Plan UK, where he had been chief operating officer since 2013.
Both Tait and Cunningham will start their roles in September.
Louise Parkes, chief executive of GOSH Charity, said: “I am delighted that leaders of such calibre will be joining us at GOSH Charity. Liz and Bill bring with them a wealth of experience across fundraising, finance and resources, and their skills and expertise will be crucial in helping the organisation deliver on its new five-year strategy and the many other exciting opportunities we have on the horizon.
“Like other charities, the coronavirus crisis has impacted on some of our fundraising activity, but it has also provided new and innovative ways for us to fundraise at a time when the hospital needs our support more than ever. I am thrilled that we have attracted such talent to our senior leadership team to help us seize these new opportunities.”
GOSH Charity could lose as much as £25m in income this year because of the crisis, Parkes said last week.
