A senior manager at Europe’s largest commercial radio group has been appointed chief executive of a leading children’s charity.

Dalton Leong, from Epsom, has been given the role at The Children’s Trust, based in Tadworth. 

Mr Leong is managing director of charities and communities at Global Radio, which owns Heart, LBC, Classic FM and a handful of other UK radion stations.

He has been employed by the company since 2010, leading its corporate social responsibility programme and portfolio of national charities, and will give up the role to become The Children's Trust new chief executive.

He was also a founding trustee and chief executive of The Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, a vice president of Fairplay for Children’s Hospices, and vice chairman of Children’s Hospices UK.

Mr Leong said: "I am thrilled to be re-joining the children's charity sector and have long admired the amazing and essential work undertaken by The Children’s Trust to support children and young people throughout the UK."

Mr Leong will take over as chief executive in April, upon the retirement of Andrew Ross who has been in the post since 1992.