Father of heart patient becomes new CEO of leading cardiac charity

The father of a heart patient has become CEO of the charity which supported his son.

Heartbeat has appointed Mark Ind (56) as its new chief executive, after John Munro decided to relocate back to his home country of Scotland.

Mark, a former hotel manager, has dedicated more than 20 years of his life to fundraise for the leading charity after his son Alex was born with a congenital heart condition. Through this, he has become a well-known figure in the region, and his fundraising initiatives and annual charity galas have helped to raise more than ￡150,000.

It was this unwavering dedication to Heartbeat, and his passionate work within the community which led to Mark becoming the first choice for CEO, and it was, after careful consideration, an opportunity the fundraising father relished.

Mark said: “My son has undergone several serious and intrusive open-heart procedures over the years, which has given our family a valuable insight into the amazing work that the cardiac team at the Wessex Cardiac Centre, do. It has meant that I now have a passion and interest in both preventative and reactive heart care.

“Gaining the role of CEO of Heartbeat is a true privilege, and I cannot wait to build on the great work that John, his predecessors, and his wonderful team have done over the past 30 years.”

Since being born with pulmonary atresia (blocked pulmonary valve) with ventricle septal defect (holes in the heart) made more challenging with situs inversus (Alex’s heart is the wrong way round), Alex (24), has faced a lifetime of operations.

He has survived four bouts of major open-heart surgery aged 14 months, 8, 17 and 20 years old as well two additional major operations and suffered from sepsis and a mini stroke three years ago.

Mark continued: “Now we are emerging from the post-covid era, there are great opportunities for us as a charity to get out into the local and business?communities. And this isn’t just Southampton either, but further afield to the other regions that Heartbeat serves such as Dorset, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and Oxford.

“Ultimately, the objective is to seek the support for fundraising and donations to not only enable Heartbeat House to continue to provide respite for families of patients having serious cardiac interventions, but also to support the Wessex Cardiac Centre with even more amazing and pioneering?projects. Projects to improve preventative measures to look after one of, if not the most important, muscle in our bodies.”

Mark officially took on the position of Heartbeat’s CEO on Friday 17th?February, with John handing over the reins after a successful eight years of service.

John said: “I joined Heartbeat during an extremely difficult time for the charity, but with that came excitement as we made our way through the many challenges ahead. Crucially, we wanted to stabilize our financial position to ensure that Heartbeat could continue to support the community in the way it had been doing since it was founded in 1992.

“With the hard work of the team, the board, and the support from our fantastic community, the charity has gone from strength to strength.?With more than ￡4m raised and invested back into our cardiac centre and wider region, we have made a significant impact on the lives of the region’s heart patients and their families.

“We have continually gone above and beyond to fund cutting-edge research, state of the art software and medical equipment, which has had life changing benefits to our heart community.”

He continued: “I would like to thank everyone connected with Heartbeat for such a positive experience. The hardest part for me will be having to leave such a dedicated and motivated team. I have cherished their support.

“A Margaret Mead quote that I feel sums them up, is: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.”