James Deeley, Chairman Expand James became Chairman of Trustees in 2012. He is a member of the Finance and Audit Committee and chair of the Remuneration, Nomination and Governance Committee. James first volunteered at SeeAbility’s Leatherhead service in 1999 before becoming a Trustee six years later in 2005. He is a qualified solicitor, whose early career was with Slaughter and May. He went on to take up senior management and Board positions in several listed public companies. He is currently Chief Executive of Alina Homecare, a business providing care to people in their own homes. "I believe passionately that everyone with sight loss and multiple disabilities has the right to an enriched life with as much choice and independence as possible. This is what SeeAbility is about and how we make a difference."
Gordon Ilett, Vice-Chairman Expand Gordon became a Trustee in February 2010 and sits on our Services and Quality Committee. He is an optometrist with his own practices in Bexleyheath and Sevenoaks. He is a National Councillor with the Association of Optometrists and also a long-standing advisor to the Special Olympics. Gordon is one of the country’s leading experts on eye care and vision for people with learning disabilities. "I have been working for many years to raise awareness of the importance of eye care for people with learning disabilities. My work in this field makes being a Trustee for SeeAbility a perfect fit – we are helping to shape and develop how eye care is delivered for this group of people."
Gareth Mostyn Expand Gareth became a Trustee in July 2010 and was appointed Treasurer at the AGM in the same year. He chairs the Finance and Audit Committee. He is a Chartered Accountant with substantial experience in senior finance roles at major public companies. Currently Gareth is the Executive Head of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at De Beers Group, having previously been Chief Financial Officer from 2012 - 2016. "I am privileged to serve as a Trustee for SeeAbility. It's a wonderful organisation with great people doing great work to enable others to live their lives to the full."
Jon Sparkes Expand Jon is Chief Executive of the charity Crisis. He was previously Chief Executive at Scope and Chief Operating Officer at Unicef UK. His early background was in HR and he has held a number of HR Director positions in both the commercial and public sectors. Jon sits on the Services and Quality Committee. "I joined the Board of SeeAbility after a number of years leading the disability charity Scope. During that time I saw the extent to which disabled people are excluded from society and wanted to keep doing something about that. SeeAbility is the most progressive organisation working with and for disabled people with sight impairment, one of the most excluded groups in society. I hope as a Trustee to be contributing to developing SeeAbility as a service provider and campaigner for this group."
Paul Ursell Expand Paul became a Trustee in February 2010 and is a member of the Services and Quality Committee. He is an internationally respected cataract surgeon and Consultant at the Epsom and St Helier Hospitals. He has lectured throughout the world and runs specialist clinics covering corneal disease and advanced cataract surgery. Paul has developed the quality standard for people with sight loss and dementia in an ophthalmology department, for which he was nominated for a Vision 2020 UK Astbury Award in 2016. He is the UK representative to the EU for Ophthalmology on the UEMS committee and an Honorary Consultant at the Royal Marsden Hospital. "I see a lot of the people SeeAbility support in my clinics. Being a Trustee has been a fantastic experience and really helpful in improving the service we offer."
Mary Heathcote Expand Mary became a Trustee in 2014 and sits on the Services and Quality Committee. She was Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames from 2012 to 2013 and, as a Councillor, was Disability Champion for the Borough from 2010 to 2014. She is registered blind and for many years has championed the rights of vulnerable groups like the young, disabled and elderly, addressing many issues including the provision of health and social care. Her civil service career included roles in the Department of Energy, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office among others. Whenever I visit a SeeAbility service I always leave inspired by the quality of the staff, their ability to create a "home-from-home" and their commitment to those in their care.
Tania Fitzgerald Expand Tania Fitzgerald became a Trustee in 2014 and is a member of the Finance and Audit Committee. She is a Chartered Accountant who has held senior finance and administration roles in the commercial and not-for-profit sectors, among them Finance Director of Scope and with Historic Royal Palaces. She is also a former Trustee of the Carers Trust. I have been involved with charities supporting people with disabilities for over 12 years and I also have a sister with an acquired brain injury. As a result of this experience I feel very passionate about maximising choice and opportunity for disabled people. SeeAbility is an exemplar in supporting people to achieve their potential which is why it is an honour for me to be involved with the SeeAbility team as a Trustee.
Francois Delbaere Expand Francois became a Trustee of SeeAbility in December 2015 and is a member of the Finance and Audit Committee. He is a Chartered Accountant who has held senior finance roles in a range of private and public equity businesses. He is currently Group Finance Director of Phoenix Learning and Care Group, a Devon-based provider of services to disadvantaged children and young people. "SeeAbility provides a first class service to the people it supports and I am delighted to be able to contribute my experience and time to such a wonderful charity. Based in the South West, I enjoy visiting the services, seeing the specialist support we provide and contributing where I can at our Exeter, Honiton, Wellington and Bristol locations."
Mary Moore Expand 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.