Board Members
Find out about the board members of the EGDF
Andrew Lamb - President
Andrew was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, which was diagnosed when he was 5. His family was told that he and his two brothers would be totally blind by 20, they should avoid normal childhood activities and learn basket weaving. The family decided to ignore this advice and the boys learned to ride bikes, play rugby and hockey, and to sail.
Andrew and his brothers went on to have scientific and medical careers. Andrew qualified as a GP and when that work became too complicated, he turned his skills to writing medical software and now runs a medical IT consultancy. He worked as an IT consultant to the Royal College of Surgeons, and sat on a number of their committees. He created a national surgical logbook which is now a mandatory requirement for all training surgeons in the UK, to help improve training standards. He has lived and worked from the South of France for two decades, travelling extensively around Europe for work.
Andrew has good central vision in day light but acquired his guide dog Esthete in 2011 to help him get around at night and in crowded places.
Ana Bacelo
I have been blind since birth and having seen my first guide dog in London when I was 7, I knew I wanted a dog who could help me.
Abba is my 3rd guide dog. I trained Abba myself with the professional help of guide dog instructors from Brazil and Italy, latterly travelling to Italy for AICA to certify me and Abba as a guide dog team.
I studied music for several years and in 2005 graduated with a degree in Psychology. Followed by a master’s degree in management, in 2013 and in 2014 a post-graduation course in animal behaviour and therapies with dogs, cats and horses.
As well as my job in human resources for a large bank in Portugal, I have an active social life, I am also involved with the Equestrian Centre in Espinho Aircraft Club, where we implemented a hippotherapy programme in 2017, and I am vice president of AICA in Italy.
For me, a guide dog is much more than a tool to help us in our daily life, they are part of me and being part of the training process of my own dog, is one of the most wonderful experiences I have had. it is also a great responsibility. But above all, it means having the freedom of leading our life and making our own choices.
I hope that working in the Board of EGDF I can help others experience the freedom and independence that having a guide dog provides.
Pauline Eilers
Pauline has been elected as a board member in 2022 to represent the French guide dog users organisation ANM Chiens Guides.
She was fully sighted until the age of 13 when she lost almost all her sight due to optic nerve damage. She received her first guide dog in 2015 who retired early in 2018. After having trained with two other dogs who turned up being mismatches, she is now working Oggie (labernese), her fourth guide dog since 2020.
Pauline holds a Master's degree in international education and intercultural communication from Durham University (UK). After having worked for the Belgium Erasmus agency and as an international mobility consultant in Paris, she is now living in Brussels. The short distance between Belgium and France allows her to carry on with her duties as a member of charities in both countries.
Karine Garnier
I'm 49 years old, I have already had 3 guide dogs. I'm a volunteer for the French Guide Dog Users Association for 20 years. This organisation is affiliated to the French Federation of Guide Dog Schools so we have close relations with every school.
I have been involved with in EGDF since its creation, I believe in it because, even if legislations are in favour of guide dog users freedom of movement, there is still alot to do to change mentalities in everyone's mind, included disabled people who are not using an assistance dog yet.
Karina Gregory
Karina has been involved with the UK Guide Dogs for the Blind Association since 1991 when her father trained with his first guide dog prior to qualifying with her own guide dog in 2007. She became actively involved in campaigning following the refusal of assistance in a shop, joining the National Federation of the Blind of the United Kingdom in 2017.
Karina is also a Trustee of the Technology Association of Visually Impaired People (TAVIP).
Karina supports young visually impaired people through mentoring with LOOK UK which she finds very rewarding.
Karina is passionate about making positive changes to the lives of people living with sight loss.
Serhan Kaleli
Serhan started working with "working dogs" in 2002 during his undergraduate education in economics with a team that trains "rescue dogs". After many rescue missions in the mountains, he studied the training and working standards of "detector dogs" in the security sector while doing his master's degree at the Turkish Police Academy.
After joining the "assistant dog study group" at CEN (The European Committee for Standardisation), he started working with dogs in his dream project to change people's lives.
In 2018, he focused on this area after his initial work with Darinka Lecnik-Urbancl our Slovenian member, on guide dog training. Although ithis has slowed down during the pandemic, he still continues to work in the fields of guide dogs, autism assistant dogs and therapy dogs.
He lives in Ankara with a German Shepherd and a Labrador.
Darinka Lecnik-Urbancl
Darinka is president and founder of the first guide and assistance dog training centre in Slovenia, Slo-Canis, a trainer for guide and assistance dogs, a handler for rescue dogs and a guide dog mobility instructor. She was active in implementing the European Guide Dog Mobility Standards training programme for instructors and the Leonardo Da Vinci project for further training of mobility instructors.
She has a Master’s degree in European and National Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. She also works as a business consultant specialising in management of SMEs, financial and European law, and the integration of Slovenia into the European Community.
Ida Mauko
Fun fact: While it may seem there are two Finns on the EGDF board, I am actually Croatian. I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at age 12, the first and only one in my family. Despite being told I would go blind, I never saw this as an obstacle to achieving what I strived for in life. I have my parents to thank for this, as they never questioned whether or not I could do something, but instead tried their best to support me in whatever crazy endeavours I had.
One of those crazy endeavours was moving to Finland and finishing my university studies there. After graduating I decided to stay, and have been happily living here for 12 years now. Over the years, my thirst for constant learning and growth has led me down many different paths - in addition to having a Master’s degree in English, I am a qualified teacher, a licensed massage therapist, a small business owner, and I have also published several research papers. Right now, I am studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Social Services (planning to graduate in 2026).
Studying social services and becoming a guide dog user in 2023 led to me becoming increasingly well acquainted with the NGO sector and various advocacy groups in Finland. This, in turn, ignited in me a passion for advancing the rights of disenfranchised groups, particularly the blind and visually impaired. In 2023, I joined the Finnish Association of Guide Dog Users and soon got elected to its board as well. I am most active in our Communications and PR work group, where my main responsibility is managing my brainchild - the association’s Instagram account. Our Instagram page is meant to provide the general public with informative videos about the lives of guide dogs and guide dog etiquette.
Susanna Kovasin
I have been visually impaired since 9 years old, not blind at all my life, Since 2014 my field of vision has been lowered and mobility skills have gone but I can read and write with magnifying programs and voice apps.
I worked in education as teacher, headmaster and project manager in international projects. In the ICT field I have worked as programmer, website producer and accessibility developer. Now I am not in active working life.
Nowadays I dedicate my life to active voluntary and Associations work with the visually impaired and people in chronic pain. I actively campaign to improve the rights of disabled people. I have many duties of the Associations and councils with goals to improve accessibility and rights of disabled people. I also have my own peer support group for people with chronic pain in Teams (internet-based supporting).
I got my first guide dog 'Fiksu' in 2019. I became a member of Finnish Association of Guide Dog Users and soon became involved with the Association's development teams (information and communication/fundraising) and member of the board.
I live in the east part of Finland, in a house near the lake 'Immala' with my fiancé and my guide dog. Nature is right beside of our house and we are most of our the free-time outdoors or gardening. We are also ‘foster family’ for guide dogs/puppies who need short time care and we have raised a guide dog puppy for one year.
I am became a member of EGDF board in 2022 and I look forward to working with the trustees to improve and maintain rights and accessibility of guide dog users and guide dogs in their own countries and in Europe.
Camelia Platt
Since joining the Light into Europe team in 2004, Camelia has been a driving force behind many of Romania's transformational changes for Romanian children and young people living with sight or hearing loss, and a vocal advocate for accessibility and inclusion for all people living with disabilities. An Occupational Therapist by profession and a passionate activist in the implementation of UNCRPD, she has been instrumental in shaping Light into Europe service development and moving the needle on a number of issues faced by people with disabilities in Romania. Among other achievements, she spearheaded the launch of the first Accessibility Hub for Blind children in Romania; led efforts in the development of new access legislation for guide dogs and the Education law; and is leading Youth Leadership for Accessibility and Inclusion programme with an extensive youth engagement process across Romania, which ultimately will result in the development of new professional qualifications for people with disabilities as accessibility and inclusion facilitators. Prior to Light into Europe, Camelia held management positions in banking and telecomm sectors in Romania.
Jan Rossman
I started my career as a management consultant specializing in cyber security before taking over a guide dog school in 2021. A major driver to make the career change from a successful consulting career, helping large clients in all over Europe to running a guide dog school was on the one hand to do something immanently useful and to be able to give vision impaired people freedom by supplying them with a guide dog, that loves the job of leading his handler safely. With my background I bring the business and consulting experience in large organisations and governments to the table, a very analytical mindset combined with the ability to put me in the shoes of others. In addition, I have a very strong background in IT from a technical and process point of view, so I can also help in getting things done in this area.
Jane Richards
Jane, the Executive Director has had a varied and successful career in blue-chip businesses, international organisations, charity fundraising and running her own businesses
Taking over the reins from Judith Jones who retired in 2020; Jane joined us in September 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jane represents EGDF on the British Standards Institute in relation to CEN/TC 452 Assistance Dogs and is working on encouraging new members to join us.
Formerly a sales and marketing executive in senior positions for General Foods Ltd and Compass Group, Jane subsequently owned and ran a number of successful pubs, hotels and restaurants with her late husband and latterly was a consultant within the hospitality industry.
A founder trustee and chair of The Priors Education Trust and a trustee of The Priors School, Jane is also treasurer of the Priors Village Hall and has been involved with fundraising for a variety of charities over a number of years.
David Adams - Retired President
David joined the board as EGDF president in 2013 with impressive experience in charity governance combined with an international business background as European Finance Director.
He served as chairman of the Royal National College for the Blind in the UK for 10 years, initiating and overseeing a £20 million building programme and the re-organisation of the college. He also served as founding chairman of The Priors School, saving it from closure by the local education authority, running it as an independent village school until it became the first government funded Free School in 2012.
David became a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and is an alumnus of Warwick Business School. He had a successful international career in the motor industry, and then ran his own business for many years.
He has raised large amounts for charity, initiating, organising and participating in fundraising campaigns, including Cycle Cuba for Guide Dogs UK. In 2005 he ran the London Marathon for the RNCB, the Blind Business Association, RP Fighting Blindness, and the Priors School. In 2013 he ran the Plymouth Half Marathon for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
He became a guide dog user in 2011.
David retired as Honorary President in. 2024, having served his full term of office