UK air ambulance CEO wins award

Since joining the charity in 2019, Welch has led a multi-disciplinary team of 135 staff including doctors, paramedics, dispatchers, pilots, fundraisers, marketers and support staff, and around 170 volunteers.

Over the last year, KSS was able to operate 24/7 throughout the pandemic without dropping a single shift. In addition, and working in partnership with South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb), Welch spearheaded the extension of KSS’s service capabilities to support the NHS by transferring over 100 critically ill Covid patients between ICUs.

Leading the team to a surplus in 2021

Each year KSS must raise over £15 million to operate its service. Over 80 per cent of this is raised through public donations and fundraising. The charity faced a deficit of £2.9 million in March 2020 and Welch led the team to a surplus by early 2021, with the charity emerging from the pandemic in a robust financial position.

Welch commented: “I am honoured and immensely proud to have won this award which reflects the outstanding achievements of KSS over the last year. This would not have been possible without the commitment and dedication of the whole of Team KSS and the people in our regions who have so generously fundraised or donated to us. I am incredibly grateful to them all. I also wanted to extend my sincere thanks to Charity Times for this fantastic accolade.”

Last year, KSS won Charity Times’ Charity of the Year Award (income over £10 million).