Iris Asia : The Team

INTRODUCING THE IRIS TEAM

Michele Claudel - Principal Director
Switzerland: Tel/Fax (+41) 22 736 3482    
London: Tel/Fax (+44) [0] 207 937 1400

Michele was born in 1945 in New York, and brought up in Switzerland, France and the UK. As well as being the founder of IRIS, Michele has shown a lifelong interest in voluntary work, having over many years participated in the work of Casa de Deus in Brazil, Centre Social Protestant and Fréres de nos Fréres in Geneva.

"I made my first trip to Cambodia in 1992 when that devastated country was under a UN mandate for the first "free & fair" elections, after the removal from power of the Khmer Rouge. I was deeply moved by the plight of the Khmer people and the ethnic tribes, particularly in the field of healthcare. A representative of a volunteer medical service indicated that there was a gap in the proposed government national healthcare plan concerning eye care, in the fields of education, prevention and medical and surgical treatments. From this equation the concept of IRIS was born."

John Stewart - Principal Director
France: Tel (+33) 1463 48722

John Stewart has strong ties to Asia. Paradoxically, these ties go back to World War II and the years he spent in Japanese POW camps on the River Kwai. Born in London John became a photographer, working first for Harper's Bazaar then Vogue in New York before settling in France in 1965. For the past 15 years John has devoted himself exclusively to private, non commercial photography and his work is exhibited in museums and galleries all over the world.

It was after a journey to Cambodia in 1995 when he had decided to produce prints that would be sold to help a charitable cause that he met Michele Claudel. Since that time the two IRIS founding directors travel separately or together to visit the various country programs. John Stewart has published books on his war experience, on an elephant school in Thailand and on his work as a photographer.

John Sandford-Smith - Trustee/Consultant

Since retiring from my position as Consultant Ophthalmologist in Leicester in October 2000, I have become more involved in practical medical work and post graduate teaching in developing countries, with visits to Burma, The Yemen, Tanzania, Malawi, Pakistan, India and Cambodia.

Publications:
- Eye Disease in Hot Climates (1986 and now having a fourth edition).
- Eye Surgery in Hot Climates (1994 and second edition in 2001).

Andy Richards OBE - Trustee/Consultant

Present position: Emeritus Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Royal Berkshire Hospital

Roger Biggs - Field Director
Sri Lanka: Tel/Fax: +94 81 223 7004  Email: irisasia@sltnet.lk

Having spent 20 years in the UK and international arena developing sport for disabled people, Roger and his wife Kathleen first went to Cambodia in 1999 to undertake voluntary work.

Following two years spent as an adviser to a number of organizations, Roger was recruited by IRIS to manage all aspects of its Cambodia program and to explore what opportunities there were to expand our work into other developing countries. Apart from overseeing programs IRIS supports in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Roger's role encompasses assisting IRIS Directors with fundraising, policy development and forward planning.