UK's Spire Healthcare names insider White as chair amid buyout talks

July 14 (Reuters) - Britain's Spire Healthcare announced on Tuesday that Chair Ian Cheshire will be stepping down after five years in the role and will be succeeded by insider Debbie White, as the private hospital chain operator continues takeover talks.

The change in leadership comes as Spire considers a £1 billion ($1.34 billion) takeover proposal from its second-largest investor, Toscafund, and awaits a formal offer, following a strategic review launched in September.

Cheshire will move to Anglian Water as chair, succeeding Ros Rivaz, the water utility said in a separate statement. The Briton had taken over as Spire's chair in May 2021, and the company's shares have gained about 39% during his tenure.

He plans to step down from Spire no later than September 30, while continuing to consult during the transition period.

White has been on Spire's board as an independent non-executive director since February 2023 and was unanimously chosen to lead the board, the company said.

"(White) combines deep sector expertise, sound judgement and a strong understanding of the business and our stakeholders. She is ideally placed to guide the Board," said independent non-executive director Natalie Ceeney, who led the search process.

While Spire, Britain's largest provider of hip and knee operations, has benefited from increasingly long NHS waiting lists that push patients to seek private healthcare, a slowdown in commissioning from the state‑backed system has posed challenges.

Sky News was the first to report Cheshire's departure on Monday.     

($1 = 0.7486 pounds)

(Reporting by Simone Lobo and Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Rashmi Aich)