The chief executive of the eating disorder charity Beat is to retire. 

Andrew Radford, who has led the charity for the past nine years, will step down at the end of November. 

The charity said that during his time leading the charity, he had helped it create successful partnerships with the NHS, overseen the growth of its support services and steered it through the financial challenges affecting the voluntary sector since the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Radford said: ‘I’ve had a wonderful nine years at Beat and will greatly miss working alongside many inspiring individuals. It is their dedication and passion that make Beat successful, allowing us to support tens of thousands of people each year.

‘I’m stepping down at a time when the NHS is once again facing significant challenges, but with a promise of hope from the new government. I take great comfort in leaving Beat well-positioned to continue its vital advocacy and support programmes, helping eating disorder services recover and grow.”

Mike Cooke, chair of Beat, said: ‘We are deeply grateful for Andrew’s leadership, which has shaped Beat into the charity it is today, providing essential support to the eating disorder community, improving access to services, and guiding us through tumultuous periods such as the pandemic.”

The former PR chief Robin Hepburn has been appointed interim chief executive of the charity. 

Hepburn, who joined Beat’s board in March last year but has stepped down in order to become interim chief, had a 30-year career in communications and led his own consultancy for 17 years. 

He said that since he stepped down from his firm in 2019 he has performed a variety of roles, including providing advice to grant-giving charities, being a trustee for several charities and a livery company and a part-time role at Norwich Cathedral. 

Hepburn said the charity was close to his heart, having had personal experience of caring for a loved one with an eating disorder.

Beat said it expected to appoint a permanent chief executive “later in 2025”.