Syed is an Economics graduate from the University of East Anglia. He works in the fundraising team, assisting team members. His focus is on collections, and using data to forecast when boxes will be filled again. His previous experience is finance-related, and Syed has a qualification for CISI in Wealth and Investment Management and the CFA Investment Management Certificate. During University, he gained financial backing from several investment firms to form the first student-run Investment fund.

Syed can be found adding to the cultural enrichment within any dynamic through informed discourse on identity and multiculturalism. Well-travelled and multilingual, Syed has the ability to adapt to people, places, and challenges, especially when facing high-demanding environments. In his spare time, Syed can be found playing golf and polo, including competing at national competitions.

Becky Hopwood: Trusts and Foundation Manager

Becky is our Trust Fundraising Manager. She has over 20 years of charity experience, with the last 16 years as a Trust Fundraising Manager at a variety of different charities. Outside of work, Becky enjoys walking her dog and exploring new places.

Ruth Matthews: Community and Events Officer

Ruth works with our amazing supporters with anything from marathons and skydives to baked bean baths and golf days. Ruth has worked across a range of areas, including community fundraising, events, philanthropy and trusts over the last 10 years. Prior to joining Fight for Sight, Ruth managed fundraising and marketing at Edinburgh-based neurodiversity charity Salvesen Mindroom Centre. Outside of work, Ruth enjoys singing in a rockabilly band and working and performing with local amateur musical theatre groups where she lives in Edinburgh.

Olivia McDonald: Partnerships Officer

Olivia works within the High Value Team as the Partnerships Officer but initially worked as the Fundraising Assistant in the Public Fundraising Team for over a year. She enjoys working on events, (special or challenge) and building long lasting relationships with supporters. Before entering the charity sector, she worked part time in retail whilst getting her degree in History and Politics of the Americas from UCL. She also has experience in sales and has worked directly with charities including the British Heart Foundation and Battersea Cats and Dogs Home.

Olivia is passionate about raising awareness for sight loss and loves collaborating with the rest of the team to find ways to do this. Outside of work, Olivia enjoys music, travelling and socialising.

Mary-Anne Donovan: Major Donor Manager

Mary-Anne worked in the charity sector for over 11 years, working across a number of income streams including community, events, corporate and high value giving. She enjoys cultivating personalised relationships with donors and connecting individuals with causes close to their hearts.

Outside of work, Mary-Anne enjoys spending time with her family, long country walks or can be found soaking up the vibrant offerings of the City.

Francesca Revell: Senior Individual Giving Officer

Francesca is a born and raised proud Londoner and passionate about making the city she loves open and accessible for all.

Francesca has over 12 years of experience working in the charity and not-for-profit sectors, working across a broad range of fundraising streams, including special and challenge events, community and corporates, legacy and in memory and primarily, individual giving. Francesca joined the Vision Foundation in February 2022 and looks after the individual giving and legacy programme. Striving for change and equality is what motivates her.

Francesca studied History at the University of Manchester, where she was sub-editor of the student newspaper. In 2012, she volunteered at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, which was a turning point in her career and one of her best and most positive experiences.

In her spare time, Francesca can be found enjoying everything London has to offer with her partner and their two young children. She enjoys trips to the theatre, yoga, and long pub lunches, following her beloved football team, QPR, and is also part of a virtual book club.

Matt Coleman: Corporate Partnerships Senior Manager

Matt has worked in the charity sector for ten years, focused on corporate fundraising. Before working for Fight for Sight / Vision Foundation, Matt worked for an international sight loss charity called Orbis UK, which focused on addressing the causes of avoidable blindness in low to middle-income countries. Matt is a keen cook outside work and enjoys cycling and attending music festivals.

Monica Smith: Philanthropy Manager

Monica has been working as a charity fundraiser for the last 13 years. Prior to joining the Vision Foundation, Monica worked at Variety, the Children’s Charity, as their Trusts and Legacies Manager and at Gingerbread, as their Trusts and Grants Manager. She is also a trustee and treasurer of Metro Blind Sport.

Monica led the development of a £1 million Major Appeal to mark the Vision Foundation’s centenary anniversary in 2021. Monica, who is severely sight impaired, has 3 children, who have all flown the nest, and enjoys many sports – tandem cycling, sailing, swimming and blind tennis through Metro, which she absolutely loves. She wants to excel in everything she does, challenge perceptions about what people believe blind people can do and be a role model for other visually impaired people.

Joanne Kelly: Community and Events Manager

Joanne started her career as a Pontins Bluecoat. This is the role where Joanne realised that she had a real passion to manage events. A few years later she graduated from the University of Suffolk with a events management degree.

Since graduating Joanne has nine years’ experience in managing mass participation fundraising events and challenges for St Elizabeth Hospice. She has also worked for a top 50 law firm, heading up the events portfolio that include, conferences, webinars, dinners and networking events. Her passion and motivation comes from wanting to make a positive difference to people’s lives using her fundraising and events knowledge.

In her spare time, you can find Joanne on a court playing league netball, spending time with family, catching a musical or watching her favourite band Westlife.

Pauline Bailey: Supporter Care Officer

Details to come

Cat Barry: Individual Giving Manager

Cat has worked in the charity sector for 27 years, first cutting her teeth in the world of trading for the Alzheimer’s Society then onto individual giving for The Children’s Society and St John Ambulance before joining Fight for Sight in March 2022. As Individual Giving manager, Cat plays an important part in engaging our supporters to help fund ground-breaking research through appeals, regular giving, weekly lottery and Gifts in Wills so that together we can have a real impact on the lives of those affected by sight-loss. In her spare time, Cat enjoys song writing and other creative outlets, and long walks with her partner and gorgeous Romanian rescue dog.

Simran Panchal: Fundraising Assistant

Simran has been working in the charity sector since 2018 where she has played integral roles in various organisations such as Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund, London Politica, Care International, and OcuMel UK, to name a few. Simran has recently taken up the role of Fundraising Assistant with a focus on assisting the Fight For Sight / Vision Foundation team with a range of tasks during the exciting time of the new merger!

Academically, Simran honed her skills at the London School of Economics, diving deep into Social Policy with Economics. Her dissertation critically evaluated the dynamics of elite boarding schools in the British landscape. Bridging societal gaps and alleviating social inequalities are the driving forces behind her endeavours. Beyond the world of academics, Simran contributed towards conservation initiatives in places like Costa Rica and Madagascar and imparted foundational skills at an orphanage in Kolkata, and enjoys being active in the world of volunteering.

In her spare time, Simran has a keen interest in travel. Each journey offers her a chance to immerse herself in new environments, learn about unique communities, and contribute through meaningful volunteer work. When not on the move, Simran appreciates unwinding with music, diving into a good book, and having novel experiences with family and friends.

John Claxton: Community Fundraiser and Collector

Details to come

Chris Sutton: Database Manager

Details to come

Communications Team

The aim of the communications team is to amplify the messages around the great work our organisation does to save sight and change lives from research to social impact and beyond.