Colonel Charles Newitt, Chief Operating Officer (COO), London’s Air Ambulance.
London’s Air Ambulance has announced the appointment of Charles Newitt to the newly created post of Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Returning the charity’s leadership team to full strength, Colonel Charles Newitt, a former senior Army officer, replaces retired Charity Director David Oakley, in a newly structured role that will see him assume responsibility for Aviation and Helipad Operations, PR & Communications and Finance.
Colonel Newitt will be responsible for all aspects of the charity’s aviation function, including its Safety Management System, under the regulatory framework imposed jointly by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Aviation Safety Association Agency (EASA). Charles will also contribute more broadly to the organisation’s strategic direction by taking further responsibility for HR and facilities management.
This senior appointment completes the restructuring of the charity under Chief Executive Officer Graham Hodgkin. It will allow him to embark on a more externally focused role in diversifying the charity’s funding base, securing sustainable support and patronage, while continuing to pursue the charity’s goal of securing a second helicopter and extending its daylight flying hours.
Charles Newitt said, “In a short space of time I’ve learnt a lot about this remarkable charity and there is still much to learn, and much I hope to add. London’s Air Ambulance and the military have taken much from each other over the past 25 years in terms of pre-hospital emergency medicine. My intention is to do the same with strategic planning, sharing skills I have learnt in the military in anticipating risk and problem resolution.
“I feel very privileged to have been invited to become part of this passionate, high-performing team that is well positioned to deliver on its strategic aims. I look forward to being part of the charity’s sustainable future.”
