Spire Healthcare Group Plc (LON:SPI) today announced that after five years, Jitesh Sodha has decided to step down from the Board and as Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) in order to focus on the next phase of his career to build a portfolio of non-executive director roles. Jitesh will step down from the Board following the Annual General Meeting, to be held in May 2024, following which he will continue in the business reporting to Justin Ash, Chief Executive Officer until February 2025 to ensure a smooth transition for the Company and to support a number of strategic initiatives and projects.
The Board is pleased to announce that Harbant Samra, currently Deputy CFO for the Company, will be appointed CFO when Jitesh steps down from the Board.
Harbant joined Spire Healthcare in 2018 as a Group Financial Controller and became Deputy CFO in 2022. Prior to this, he was at Lloyds Banking Group for seven years, latterly as a Finance Director, and at Deloitte for fifteen years in its UK audit and advisory practice.
Justin Ash, Chief Executive Officer, said:
“Since joining Spire Healthcare in 2018 Jitesh has led a transformation in our financial performance, sales of two businesses and three acquisitions, navigating us through the pandemic period with a strong profit recovery and restructuring our balance sheet so our leverage is the lowest it has been since we listed.
I wish to thank Jitesh for his significant contribution. Spire would not be in the great place it is today without his leadership and I am sure many of you will wish to extend your good wishes to Jitesh as he embarks on the next stage of his career.
I am pleased that Harbant has accepted the role of CFO. His financial, commercial and operational experience, as well as knowledge of our business as both the current Deputy CFO and former interim CFO, make him well placed to take up this position and we look forward to continuing to deliver the Company’s strategic objectives.”
Sir Ian Cheshire, Non-Executive Chairman, said:
“I want to express our deep gratitude for the significant and valuable role Jitesh has played during his time here in helping to build Spire into a leading independent healthcare group. While we are sorry to see him go, we wish him well in the next phase of his career.
I also look forward to having Harbant on board as CFO and working with him to further Spire Healthcare’s mission of making a positive difference to people’s lives through providing outstanding personalised care.”
Spire Healthcare is a leading independent healthcare group in the United Kingdom, with 39 hospitals and over 50 clinics, medical centres and consulting rooms across England, Wales and Scotland. It operates a network of private GPs and provides occupational health services to over 800 corporate clients.
