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President, IAPB
Caroline Casey is IAPB’s President. She is also a business woman and activist.
Caroline also sits on several diversity and inclusion boards to include L’Oréal and Sky and is a much sought-after speaker. Caroline has received an honorary doctorate as well as multiple awards and accolades for her work as a disability activist.
Vice President, IAPB
Dr Muhammad Babar Qureshi’s career has been dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by vision impairment and blindness around the world. His commitment to advocating and working for inclusive, equitable and integrated eye care services for everyone has resulted in significant progress and positive change.
He was born Pakistan and then moved with his family to Nigeria, where he was educated and where he graduated as a medical doctor. He did his Residency in Ophthalmology in Nigeria and Austria, followed by his Master’s in Community Eye Health in London. After working as an ophthalmologist in Nigeria for eight years, he moved back to Pakistan where he was the Secretary of the National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness, the Secretary of the National Trachoma Task Force and the Director of Academics and Research for the Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology. He was also the Executive Director of the Comprehensive Health and Education Forum International in Pakistan for seven years.
In 1997 he became a Medical Advisor for CBM and is currently the CBM Director of Inclusive Eye Health and Neglected Tropical Diseases and is based in Cambridge, UK. In addition, he is Chair of the Eastern Mediterranean Region Alliance for Trachoma Control and the Trachoma Expert Committee. Recently, he became a member of the Ophthalmology Foundation Board.
Health System Strengthening Lead, Fred Hollows Foundation, Ethiopia
Hibret has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, BA in Development Management, Master’s Degree in Public Health and more than 15 years’ work experience working health sector reach experiences on managing and leading projects/ programs. She currently serves as a Health System Strengthening for The Fred Hollows Foundation Ethiopia. Previously, served World Vison Ethiopia as a post of Technical Advisor position for preterm birth prevention program.
She has served on the International Rescue Committee as a post of health program Deputy Coordinator for the country program, Prior to that, Hibret worked with GOAL ETHIOPIA as a health advisor and health coordinator positions and CARE International in Ethiopia HIV/AIDS learning advisor position.
Global Head Medical Affairs & Chief Medical Officer, Novartis Corporate Affairs & Global Health
Nicola (Nicky) Lister was appointed Chief Medical Officer and Head Medical Affairs for Global Health in April 2020, incl. regional responsibility for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Dr Lister was most recently Chief Scientific Officer, Africa Cluster. Her career at Novartis started a Medical Advisor role in the UK, during which time she obtained her Specialist Medical qualification through the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine. In 2012, she started at Novartis South Africa as a Senior Medical Advisor, before serving as Head of Medical Affairs, Head of Clinical Research, Head of Medical Education Strategy and Chief Scientific Officer, Southern Africa.
Dr Lister obtained her medical degree in 2002 at The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, before spending several years in London, United Kingdom working in the NHS as a locum doctor, and subsequently as a research physician in a Phase 1 Clinical Research Organization. Career highlights have been implementing the first Ramadan diabetes study in the UK; short-listing for the Global D&I Awards in 2015 for the South African Healthcare Professional University; being awarded the Director’s Award for contributions in the inaugural Emerging African Leaders Programme 2015 (University of Stellenbosch Business School – USB); and leading a workstream to create a new operational structure for SSA in 2019/20.
Director of SingHealth AI Program, Head of AI and Digital Innovation in Singapore Eye Research Institute
Associate Professor Daniel Ting is the Director of SingHealth AI Program, Head of AI and Digital Innovation in Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), Associate Professor in Ophthalmology with Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore, and Consultant Vitreo-Retinal Surgeon in Singapore National Eye Center. A/Prof Ting is actively involved in the Healthcare AI space at the global setting, serving in several AI executive committee (STARD-AI, DECIDE-AI, American Academy of Ophthalmology) and AI editorial boards (NPJ Digital Medicine, Frontiers in Medicine and Digital Health). As a clinician scientist, to date, he has published >200 peer-reviewed papers in highly prestigious journals such as JAMA, NEJM, Lancet, Nature Medicine and etc, and recently been ranked the world’s most influential deep learning researcher across clinical and technical domains in healthcare for the past 10 years (2010-2021) by the ExpertScape.
A/Prof Ting was also recognized by many top-tiered international AI and ophthalmology societies in winning many prestigious scientific awards, including the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Nakajima Award(2021), MICCAI OMIA Prestigious Achievement Award (2020), ARVO Bert Glaser Award for Innovative Research in Retina (2020) etc. He was also the visiting Fulbright Scholar to Johns Hopkins University in 2017.
Founder, Vula
Dr William founded Vula to connect primary health workers with specialist ophthalmologists. His first hand experience as the Vice-Chair of the Rural Doctors Association and as a specialist ophthalmologist helped form the solution. He has published academic articles on the role of innovation and technology in improving healthcare delivery. Vula was awarded the Clearly Vision Prize in 2016 and Best Health Solution in South Africa by MTN in 2019. Vula started in ophthalmology and is now used in 79 health specialties, contributing to providing comprehensive universal health care.
CEO, National Vision
Reade has served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of National Vision since January 2003. He joined the Company in April 2002 as its President and Chief Operating Officer. Under his leadership, National Vision has become one of the largest and fastest growing optical retailers in the United States.
Before joining National Vision, Reade served as the Chief Executive Officer of the European internet start-up company, First Tuesday. Prior to First Tuesday, he was Managing Director of Vision Express U.K., where he led a dramatic turnaround of its largest and most profitable division. When Vision Express merged with Grand Optical, the new company – Grand Vision – became the largest optical chain in Europe. He began his optical career in 1986 when he joined LensCrafters, then a regional optical chain of less than 100 stores. When he left LensCrafters a decade later, it was the largest optical chain in the world. At LensCrafters, Reade led advertising, strategy, and new product development.
Reade devotes himself to an ecosystem of charities that help to make eyeglasses available and affordable to underserved populations around the world. He is the Chairman of the Board of VisionSpring, a social enterprise that works to ensure affordable access to eyewear, everywhere; and he is also an active board member of RestoringVision, a nonprofit that provides millions of readers and sunglasses to those who would otherwise not have access to eyewear. He also serves on the boards of Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University, Ditto Technologies, Inc., Affordable Care, Inc., and Atlanta’s Alliance Theater.
Reade holds a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard University
McArthur and Ashoka Fellow & Co-founder Aurolab
David has worked with many organizations to make medical technology and health care services sustainable, affordable and accessible to all. He is a MacArthur Fellow, Ashoka Fellow and is recognized by Schwab Foundation as a leading social entrepreneur. David directed the establishment of Aurolab (India), to produce affordable intraocular lenses (now has more than 10% of the global market share; over 35 million have had their vision restored via an Aurolab lens) suture and pharmaceuticals.
He has developed high-volume, quality eye care programs that are affordable to the poor and self-sustaining from user fees, including Aravind Eye Hospital in India – which performs over 500,000 surgeries per year – 50 percent of the care is provided free of charge or below – cost, yet the hospital is able to generate substantial surplus revenue. He has played a key role in developing major eye care programs and training centers in China, India, Nepal, Egypt, Tanzania, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Mexico and Guatemala.
He co-founded Sound World Solutions, a social enterprise to make affordable blue tooth hearing aids; LegWorks, which makes high quality prosthetic knees affordable; and the Eye Fund, a $15M social investing fund in collaboration with Deutsche Bank, Ashoka and International Agency for Prevention of Blindness. He was a vice president at Ashoka for 10 years. He is presently works with Seva Foundation and Aurolab to make an affordable treatment for diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration; KeraLink to develop and invest into groundbreaking technology to address cornea blindness in developing countries; and Shroff Charitable Eye Hospitals in northern India.
He is on the faculty of Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute; is a recipient of 2009 “Spirit of Helen Keller” award for humanitarian efforts in blindness prevention; was awarded 2009 University of Michigan Humanitarian Service Award; and was selected by University of Michigan Engineering students as a leading social entrepreneur alumnus. In 2011 he received the Certificate of Honorary Award of Liaoning Province as a foreign expert who has made great contributions to the economic and social development of Liaoning Province. He is on the boards of the University of Michigan School of Business Social Venture Fund and is on the advisory board of Seva Foundation. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor in General Studies (1978) and a Masters degree in Public Health (1982).
Head of Mission, EssilorLuxxotica
Anurag is the Head of Mission at EssilorLuxottica. He is in-charge of embedding EssilorLuxottica’s powerful Mission, to help everyone, everywhere in the word see more, be more and live life to the fullest, in the company’s day-to-day operations. In addition to driving actions that unite all EssilorLuxottica employees and external stakeholders around the company’s Mission, Anurag also leads philanthropy, inclusive business, innovation and advocacy teams working to realize the company’s ambition to Eliminate Poor Vision in a generation and bring vision care to the 2.7 Bn people who currently suffer from uncorrected poor vision due to a lack of awareness and access.
Before his current role, Anurag has led the market development, advocacy, strategy, innovation, product management, marketing and supply chain functions for all actions aimed at Eliminating Poor Vision. Anurag has also managed Essilor’s €49 Million social impact fund, Vision for Life, which has funded interventions and programs that bring vision care to the underserved.
Anurag has over 19 years of diversified experience across healthcare devices, consumer products, strategy consulting and policy advisory. Before joining Essilor, Anurag was a senior member of a high-level policy think tank in Malaysia, exclusively advising the prime minister on national strategy, focusing on sustainable community development and social innovation. Before his Malaysia stint, Anurag has worked with companies such as PepsiCo, Ernst & Young and ITC Limited across business management and strategy roles.
Anurag holds an MBA from INSEAD France, a Masters degree in Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore and an Engineering degree from Delhi Institute of Technology. He has worked and lived in 5 countries. Outside of work, Anurag is passionate about music and sports. He is a PTR-certified tennis instructor and an NRTP 5.0 player. He currently lives in Singapore with his wife and two sons, who dream all day about becoming professional soccer players.
President & Executive Director, Onesight
K-T has served as the President and Executive Director of OneSight since 2018, where she leads a global team of employees and volunteers who deliver vision care to millions of people around the world who would otherwise not have access. She believes deeply in the mission of helping everyone achieve their human potential by ensuring they have access to the vision care and eyeglasses they need and deserve. During her tenure to date, she has focused on expanding OneSight’s impact by ensuring operational excellence in all of the organization’s global vision care programming and enabling future scale through the development of strategic partnerships and a diversified funding base. She is a strong believer in the power of collaboration and actively seeks to work with others to accelerate efforts toward a common vision. To do this, she has drawn on her previous experiences in both public health and corporate positions.
Prior to OneSight, K-T served in executive roles of increasing responsibility at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Procter & Gamble and Bain & Company. She graduated from Princeton University, where she received her AB with a concentration in International Politics, and holds an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. K-T serves on the Board of Trustees of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and was recently named one of the “Most Influential Women in Optical” by Vision Monday. She is also active in several organizations focused on mentoring and the reduction of mental health stigma. She enjoys hiking, cooking, SCUBA, Ironman triathlons and cheering on her 3 children in their various endeavors.
