Rob Walters

Over the past 22 years, Rob Walters has selflessly dedicated a vast amount of time to the charity as a volunteer, trustee and then Chairman. During the past two decades, he has donated thousands of hours to training ophthalmologists in developing countries, attending and chairing board meetings, lobbying organizations around the world and speaking at events.

His involvement with Orbis began in November 1994 when he travelled to Sudan to volunteer on board the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital. There, he spent three weeks working closely with trainee ophthalmologists, sharing his expertise and mentoring them in important sight-saving skills. Since this initial volunteer assignment, Rob has participated in a further 15 teaching trips to Bangladesh, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, India, Myanmar, and Vietnam and has directly impacted the lives of hundreds of patients. In 2003 he joined the Orbis UK board and in 2008 was appointed chairman. His unique insight as someone who has conducted training programs on the ground has provided him with the perfect vantage point to chair the charity.