Save the Children UK has announced that Peter Bennett-Jones, a founding trustee of Comic Relief, will replace Sir Alan Parker as chair of the charity.

Parker will be leaving his role as chair after seven years, to become the chair of the charity’s international branch: Save the Children International.

Bennett-Jones (pictured) has been a trustee at the charity since February and has an extensive background in the arts as founder of the Tiger Aspect Group and PBJ, the artistic management company.

Bennett-Jones, said: “Through my involvement at Comic Relief, and more recently as a trustee of Save the Children, I have observed at close quarters the work of Save the Children over three decades.

“This extraordinary charity has a clear mission, great ambition and an admirable track record and it has always impressed me hugely. To be offered the opportunity to succeed Sir Alan Parker as chair is both personally thrilling and daunting”.

Bennett-Jones will formally begin his new position from September.

Save the Children UK's accounts for the year ending December 2014 were published earlier this month. It showed that the organisation's annual income had grown to £370m, an eight per cent rise on the previous year.