Thomas Hughes-Hallett is to retire as chief executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care by the end of the year.

Hughes-Hallett has been in the post for over 12 years but now wishes to spend time encouraging more people to give to charities.

The Marie Curie board will announce Hughes-Hallett's replacement later in the year, and is set to recommend that he stays in the organisation in a new, voluntary role of Vice President.

Last year Hughes-Hallett chaired the philanthropy review, and along with other leaders from the business and charitable sectors undertook an extensive enquiry into giving in the UK. The group was due to disband in July 2011 but has subsequently continued after its ‘call to action’ proposals. These proposals looked to achieve three main goals – how to make it easier for people to give, how to encourage giving and how to help giving become a social norm.

Hughes-Hallett originally came to Marie Curie with a professional background in banking and with voluntary roles as chair and special trustee of the English Churches Housing Group and Great Ormond Street Hospital respectively.

Under his leadership at Marie Curie the Delivering Choice Programme was launched in 2004 with the aim of improving services and care for terminally ill patients. The charity was successful in winning the National Payroll Giving Award for the best civil society employer campaign last year. It increased the number of employees signed up from 10 to 50 in one month and used its own scheme as a case study for other organisations.

Thanking Hughes-Hallett for his contribution so far John Varley, chair of Marie Curie Cancer Care, said:

“Under Tom’s leadership, Marie Curie has prospered and developed. Now around 10,000 more patients and families benefit from its nursing care at home every year than in 2000, when he joined the charity.”