Pet charity Blue Cross has appointed Chris Burghes as its new chief executive.

Burghes will join the charity in June, replacing existing CEO Sally de la Bedoyere, who is retiring after five years at the helm.

He joins Blue Cross from the Royal Free Charity – the charitable arm of the Royal Free Foundation Trust – where he was previously CEO.

“I am excited to be joining Blue Cross which has grown into one of the largest and best loved pet welfare charities in the country. It is a wonderful time to join the charity and lead the organisation on the next stage of its strategy, building on its renowned reputation for providing unique and holistic services to pets and their owners," he said.

His new post will see him overseeing the operation of the charity, following in the footsteps of Sally de la Bedoyere, who has lead the charity through significant growth and increased income by nearly 20%.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my time leading Blue Cross in an ever-changing environment of pet welfare and developing a strategy to deliver the greatest impact to improve the lives of pets and people," De la Bedoyere said.

"By adapting the ways our services work and taking advantage of digital developments we have been able to reach more animals in need, help more pet owners in crisis and spread the message of best pet welfare. I would like to thank all my teams and look forward to following the journey of Blue Cross into the future.”

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