New appointments at Sightsavers

Sightsavers has appointed three new trustees to its UK board as the charity seeks to increase its efforts to tackle avoidable blindness.

The charity’s chairman, Martin Dinham, welcomed the new trustees and said that their “deep and wide-ranging experience” will help Sightsavers at a time when an ageing global population continues to grow.

Epidemiologist and physician at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Professor Christopher Whitty, has taken on one of the board positions. He is also chief scientific advisor at the Department of Health and currently carries out this role on an interim basis to the British Government as well.

Abia Akram, chief executive of the National Forum of Women with Disabilities in Pakistan, also joins the board as trustee. Ms Akram holds roles in the UN, the Commonwealth and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

Director of investment at The Power of Nutrition, Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, has also been appointed. She will bring her expertise in dealing with governments and non-governmental organisations on investment and international development to the role.