OUR PEOPLE

Dr David Pyott is the former Chairman and CEO of Allergan Inc. During his tenure, Allergan was transformed from a small eye care business with about $1 billion in sales to a global company, with sales over $7 billion. Dr Pyott is a member of the Board of several U.S. pharmaceutical companies and a member of the Supervisory Board of Royal Philips. He is Chairman of the Board of Governors of London Business School, a Trustee of the California Institute of Technology, President of the Advisory Board of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is also involved on the Boards of many other U.S. and international eyecare charities. Dr Pyott and his wife, Molly, are Members of the Priory of the USA and stalwart supporters of SJEHG. Dr Pyott joined the Board in October 2020.

Ms. Helen Winterton serves as His Majesty’s Consul-General to Jerusalem, succeeding Ms. Diane Corner OBE. She took up her appointment in December 2024. Ms. Winterton has an extensive diplomatic career, having served as His Majesty’s Ambassador to Tunis from 2021 to 2024. Prior to that, she underwent full-time Arabic language training from 2020 to 2021. From 2018 to 2020, she was the Deputy Director for the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East and North Africa Directorate at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Between 2012 and 2014, she was the Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Department for International Development (DFID). Earlier in her career, she was Head of the DFID Office in Jerusalem from 2009 to 2012 and Private Secretary to the Secretary of State at DFID from 2007 to 2009. She also held roles in the Middle East & North Africa Department at DFID from 2006 to 2007 and served as Deputy Head of DFID Iraq in Baghdad in 2005. In 2004, she worked as a Deputy Programme Manager in Addis Ababa.

Joachim von Einem was a lawyer and notary public in his own office for more than 40 years in Bremen, Germany. He joined the Johanniterorden in 1976 taking over several functions within the order. From 2008 to 2022 he was the Governing Commander of the Hannover Commandery, covering most parts of Northern Germany. Joachim joined the Board in June 2023.

Professor Sajjad Ahmad is a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital (London, UK), and Professor of Corneal Regeneration at the Institute of Ophthalmology (University College London) and the Moorfields-UCL NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. As well as managing general corneal diseases and cataract and refractive surgery, he is best known for his clinical expertise in complex inflammatory ocular surface diseases and ocular surface reconstruction with stem cell therapies. He also runs a lab group at UCL with a research interest in corneal epithelial healing and limbal stem cells.

Dr Freitag is the Director of Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.  She received her undergraduate degree from Duke University and completed medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.  She completed ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, and ophthalmic plastic surgery fellowship at Harvard and Tufts.  She is the Emeritus Editor-in-Chief of the journal Orbit.  Dr Freitag is actively involved in surgical mission work in Uganda, Nevis and other locations, and has volunteered at St Johns Eye Hospital in Jerusalem.