SEEABILITY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Member of the Honorary Officers Team
Like many supporters Adrian was alarmed to realise just how often eyesight testing is overlooked when working with disabled children - even though it is obviously the right place to start.
Adrian qualified as an actuary in 1975 and is a founder partner of Barnett Waddingham LLP, now the largest independent firm of actuaries in the UK.
A Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Actuaries, one of London's 110 Livery Companies who collectively do so much for charitable causes, Adrian was awarded the CBE in 2012 for services to pensions and the actuarial profession.
In 2014 Adrian served as a Sheriff of the City of London and is a member of the Council of City & Guilds, a Director of the Epilepsy Society and the current President of the Association of Lancastrians in London.
Job Titles:
- Finance Director
- Member of the Leadership Team
Alun has a wide breadth of experience in the commercial, not for profit and charitable sectors. Most recently he has worked at a senior level in community health services, and before that a housing association and a relief and development charity.
Alun is responsible for all Seeability's financial affairs and oversees its Finance, Property and Information Technology teams. In his role he liaises with a wide range of external stakeholders and works closely with the Treasurer. Alun was drawn to the high quality social care and pioneering vision work that Seeability does and its commitment to delivering extraordinary care to the people we support.
When not at work Alun enjoys swimming and outdoor pursuits and following the varying fortunes of the Welsh rugby team.
Amar lost his sight when he was 18 years old, but still wanted to explore the world. However, when he approached mainstream travel companies as a solo blind traveler, he faced rejection.
In the wake of this, and after a successful career as the head of finance at one of the UK's largest international telecommunications firms, Amar decided to create Traveleyes.
His aim was to empower thousands of blind individuals all over the world to explore the planet as independently as their sighted counterparts, and, since the company was founded in 2004, it has gone from strength to strength as the world's leading commercial tour operator offering independent group travel for both blind and sighted travelers.
The success of Traveleyes has seen Amar become a widely sought-after media personality and motivational speaker. His first television appearance in 2004's Beyond Boundaries (BBC Two) saw Amar pushing the limits of human endurance as he and a team of other disabled adventurers trekked 220 miles across the entire width of Nicaragua, navigating active volcanoes and shark-infested lakes along the way. Since then, he's explored the world of personal health for How to Get Fit Fast (Channel 4), guided a comedian through the hidden delights of Turkey for Travelling Blind (BBC One), and delved to the depths of ancient canyons for River Walks (BBC One).
More recently he's been exploring the spiritual world as well as the physical one on Pilgrimage: The Road to Istanbul (BBC One), a three part series in which he and six other well-known personalities trekked the Sultans Trail pilgrimage route as part of a quest to understand their own faiths. As well as this, Amar has been cooking up a storm on Celebrity MasterChef (BBC One), becoming the UK series' first ever blind contestant as part of his quest to show the world exactly how far you can get by refusing negativity and embracing opportunities to do something new.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Executive Director of Operations
Brian Robinson joined SeeAbility having worked in social care for over 25 years. He started off as a support worker and has gained experience by working in a variety of different organisations at various levels, including Registered Manager, Area Manager and Regional Managing Director.
Brian has overseen services for people with learning and physical disabilities, and autism. This has included supporting people to move away from traditional service styles such as registered care homes and ATUs to more community based support and individual service designs. Seeing people being in control of their lives and being truly part of their community is what Brian is truly passionate about.
As SeeAbility's Executive Director of Operations, Brian's position is incredibly varied. He is responsible for the operations team and ensuring they deliver great services for the people SeeAbility support. He is keen to look into how we can work more effectively together as an organisation to create real outcomes for the people we support and employ.
When Brian's not in the office, he enjoys spending time in the great outdoors. He particularly loves mountaineering and has even climbed to Everest Base Camp!
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Behaviour Consultant
- Member of the Clinical Assessment and Intervention Team
- Member of the Honorary Officers Team
Kate is a business economist, a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, and now a holder of a number of non-executive posts.
Job Titles:
- North West Eye Care Services Development Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Officers Team
- Vice President
David became Vice President of SeeAbility in 2008. Before this he was Chairman of Trustees from 2001 until 2007, during which time we established our vital work to prevent avoidable sight loss among people with learning disabilities.
David is a founder member of SeeAbility's Sight Pioneer programme, which recognises individual philanthropic support in pursuit of better lives for those with sight loss and multiple disabilities in the UK.
As a chartered accountant with an extensive business career, David trained at Deloitte and Touche where he became partner in 1977, specialising in large international clients. He was Group Finance Director at Saatchi & Saatchi plc from 1986-89 and Group Finance Director of The General Electric Company plc from 1989-97.
Among his numerous board positions, spanning large and mid-cap listed companies, David was formerly Chairman of Paypoint plc, Tomkins plc, Britax International, Kesa Electricals plc and HellermanTyton plc. His experience spans flotations, mergers and acquisitions, and growth companies.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chairman of the NHS Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider
Dharmesh was introduced to the SeeAbility in January 2023 and, if formally approved, will be sitting on the Finance and Audit committee. Along with his strong clinical pedigree, he has wide-ranging expertise in service design and procurement. Dharmesh is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Primary Eyecare Services. As an optometrist by background, he has worked in various clinical, management and leadership roles.
Dharmesh is the chair of the NHS Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider board and a board member of the Association of Optometrists. Dharmesh has acted previously as a Clinical Director of LOCSU, the chair of the Greater Manchester Local Eye Health Network for NHS England and chair of the charity - The Eyecare Trust raising awareness of the importance of eye examinations
Job Titles:
- Policy, Public Affairs and Research Manager
Liz has worked in the public sector for over 20 years and is passionate about supporting the most vulnerable in society to lead their best lives. Liz brings extensive experience of commissioning services for children and adults across the age range and ensuring people receive high quality care. Her current role is focused on supporting adults with a Learning Disability to lead independent and fulfilling lives.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Officers Team
- Vice President
Elizabeth became a SeeAbility Vice President in 2012, having previously been Chairman from 2007, and a Trustee since 2005.
She trained as a nurse, health visitor and midwife, and was also the founder and former CEO of Robina Care, which she developed from a small enterprise into the largest independent specialist care group of its kind in the UK.
"Little did I know that when I joined SeeAbility as a Trustee it was going to become one of the most important and meaningful things in my life. The commitment and dedication of all the highly trained staff to ‘see beyond disability' and empower people who have sight loss and other disabilities is something that I am very proud to have been associated with.
"During my time with SeeAbility I have seen lives empowered and enriched by the specialist knowledge and understanding of the SeeAbility Staff. We continue to grow and expand our services - most recently offering sight tests to children in special schools and training other professionals to support the work of this excellent organisation. I look forward to continuing to support these and all the other initiatives in any way that I can."
Job Titles:
- Eye Care Champion and Expert by Experience - London
Heather House has a reputation as a world-leading specialist nursing care home, which offers a high-quality service for people with juvenile CLN3 (Batten) disease and other complex conditions.
Helen Fospero is a familiar face on British TV screens. She's a journalist & presenter and has worked for all major UK broadcasters - BBC, Sky News, ITV and Five - hosting live programmes. Helen reports for The One Show on BBC1 & appears on C4's Countdown.
Helen was a regular on the GMTV sofa, hosting the main show and Lorraine. She lived in New York as U.S Correspondent for ITV. During this time, she was the only British TV reporter to witness the twin towers fall on September 11th .
She also specialised in entertainment, interviewing stars including Sir Elton John; George Clooney; Jennifer Lopez; Tom Cruise and Al Pacino. She covered The Oscars, broadcasting live from the red carpet in LA, and The Cannes Film Festival.
She loves her role as a corporate presenter, hosting business conferences & awards for brands like Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Canary Wharf Group and Hyundai.
She also makes films for corporate clients and has just finished one for Britain's extraordinary RAF aerobatic team The Red Arrows.
Helen is proud to be an ambassador for SeeAbility.
Jack is an asset manager specialising in private equity real estate. He joined the Blackstone Group in 2012 where he has worked across all sectors of European real estate investment. He is now Senior Vice President of Revantage, Blackstone's corporate services affiliate supporting its value-add real estate investment structures, strategies and portfolio companies. Prior to Blackstone, Jack worked at Schroders and Invista Real Estate Investment Management.
Jack's brother Matty has been supported by SeeAbility in specialist accommodation since 2000.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Officers Team
- Vice President
James Deeley became a Vice President in 2019 and has supported the organisation for over 20 years, most recently as Chair of the Board of Trustees from 2012 and as a Trustee since 2005.
James has first-hand knowledge of SeeAbility's work as he volunteered in Leatherhead for 6 years as an independent advocate for some of the people supported by SeeAbility before becoming a Trustee.
He is currently Chief Executive of Alina Homecare, a provider of high quality care services to people in their own homes across the South of England.
James is a qualified solicitor, whose early career was with Slaughter and May, before taking up senior legal and corporate positions in several public companies gaining wide ranging legal and managerial experience. Until 2012 he was Commercial Director of Charter International plc.
The majority of James career has been in commercial finance officer roles. After training in audit and then specialising in tax with PWC, James worked in international CFO roles for US corporates including Paramount Pictures, CBS Outdoor, Technicolor and SDI Media; and in regional FD roles in the direct marketing collectibles sector with International Masters Publishers (Sweden) and Samlerhuset (Norway). James was also CEO for Western Europe for Samlerhuset managing its businesses in Belgium, UK & Ireland.
James is now balancing portfolio FD roles through the FD Centre, with Trustee/NED opportunities.
Jo has spent most of her career in the charity sector, in marketing, communications and fundraising. Through both her professional and personal life she has developed real passion and commitment for achieving the best for disabled people.
Her charity career includes working for Diabetes UK, Action for Children, The Trussell Trust and Comic Relief as well as spending 6 years as a Non-Exec Director for PACEY. She has recently just moved to the NHS as Head of Marketing and External Communications at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. She brings specialist experience of delivering marketing and communications strategy and multimillion pound integrated charity campaigns and partnerships.
In her rare free time, Jo likes to spend time with her children and her German Shepherd Dogs. One of her dogs is in training as a medical assistance dog and is currently learning deep pressure therapy.
Job Titles:
- Eye Care Champion - North West
Job Titles:
- Head of Marketing, Digital and Communications )
Job Titles:
- Regional Head of Operations for the South East
Job Titles:
- Member of the Clinical Assessment and Intervention Team
- Vision Rehabilitation Worker
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Officers Team
- Vice President
Lady Colman became Vice President of SeeAbility in 1998.
Living in Hampshire, she has a particular interest in SeeAbility's Heather House and Fir Tree Lodge, both in Tadley.
Lady Colman has been involved with Heather House since this unique service began. Over the years she has generously supported SeeAbility's fundraising activities and attended a number of official engagements where our Patron HRH The Duchess of Gloucester has opened newly extended buildings.
"I've had a busy life raising five children, training dogs, being a magistrate and advising on the management of the family farm's woodlands and speciality trees. I am also a keen gardener. Although I do not have direct experience of visual impairment I know about the importance of providing the best environment for encouraging growth and development."
Job Titles:
- Eye Care Champion - London
Job Titles:
- Director of Development
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Member of the Leadership Team
Lisa Hopkins became the Chief Executive of SeeAbility in September 2016. Having initially worked in Canada as a clinician for charities which support people with disabilities, she emigrated to England in 2007 and was Executive Director of Autism and Challenging Behaviour at Adepta. Lisa later became the Managing Director of Dimensions, a service provider for people with learning disabilities and autism.
Lisa sees a main component of her role as one of listening, particularly to the people we support and their families, as well as her colleagues. She is determined to ensure that everyone has a say in what we do and how we do it, so that SeeAbility can provide effective support and be a great place to work. Lisa is passionate about inclusion and fostering ambition for everyone in order that we can all live our best life and contribute to the communities in which we live.
Outside of SeeAbility, Lisa is a Trustee of Learning Disability England, a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, and a Liveryman at the Worshipful Company of Spectaclemakers. Lisa is also known as being (slightly!) competitive, particularly during her weekly pub quiz!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director of People
- in 2017 As Our Director of People
Martin Boyce joined SeeAbility in 2017 as our Director of People. Before joining Martin was the People Director at a preventative healthcare organisation. Previous to that, Martin has held various senior HR and change management positions in both public and private sector.
As SeeAbility's Director of People, Martin's passionate about ensuring we get the best from every employee by recognising the contribution of everyone. A particular focus for Martin will be to ensure we are recruiting and retaining the best people, developing all employees and managers so that they can do their job to the best of their ability and most importantly looking at how we reward employees for their contribution to the success of our organisation.
Outside of SeeAbility, Martin loves to be active by going to the gym, spinning and running as well as spending quality time with friends and family. He also loves to travel.
Mary became a Trustee of SeeAbility in March 2016 and sits on the Services and Quality Committee.
She is an Organisational Development consultant with experience supporting organisations to develop positive work environments, good teamwork and effective leadership teams. She was a partner in Sheppard Moscow, the organisation development consultancy in the UK and established their business in Asia before becoming an independent consultant and executive coach in 2010. Mary is also a non-executive director of Devon Partnership NHS Trust in Devon.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Member of the Honorary Officers Team
Michael became a SeeAbility Ambassador in July 2015 after stepping down as Vice Chair of Trustees following eight years on the Board. He retired in 2008 from his position as Chief Executive of Care Management Group.
"In 2015 when my period of tenure came to an end I left behind a highly efficient charity within which "passion" is evidenced every day throughout the organisation. I was delighted to be offered the position of Ambassador and look forward to being involved with new service openings, fundraising events, discussions with corporate gifters - really in any way I can.
"SeeAbility has recently pioneered the practice and development of specialist eye tests within special schools for children. I have been fortunate to visit one of these schools to observe the sight testing for myself and to see how immensely valuable our Children in Focus Campaign is."
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Member of the Honorary Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Eye Care Champion - North West
Job Titles:
- Supported Employment Coach
Job Titles:
- Behaviour Consultant
- Member of the Clinical Assessment and Intervention Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Clinical Assessment and Intervention Team
- Lead Vision Rehabilitation Worker
Job Titles:
- National Eye Care Services Development Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Officers Team