Our team
We are a passionate team of people governed by our Board of Trustees who work with our Senior Management Team to set our strategic direction and ensure we meet the financial and legal duties as a registered charity.
Our Trustees are all volunteers and reflect the diversity of the people we support. A third of our Trustees have a sight impairment, which ensures the interests of people with visual impairment stay central to all our work.
As we are a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee due to our mixed funding model, our Board members are both volunteer Trustees of the charity and unpaid Directors of the company.
“The charity plays a vital role in helping to provide confidence and independence to so many people who are visually impaired. I’m excited to work with the Board, staff, volunteers, and supporters to build on the incredible work already being done and to help shape the future of KAB.”
Avril Langman-Heath, Chair
Board of Trustees
Avril Langman-Heath
Chair
Avril joined KAB in 2024 and became Vice Chair that year and in 2025 was appointed Chair. Avril has a BA (Econ) degree from the University of Manchester and a strong background in Banking and Finance having spent over 25 years in the City. She has held senior roles in Large Corporate Financing, Relationship Banking, Business Development and Programme Management with experience across both corporate and retail banking and regulatory change projects in the banking sector. On a personal level Avril’s mother was registered severely sight impaired and was a client of KAB for many years. KAB helped Avril’s mother to live independently with their 1-to-1 Sight Support Service and Avril is delighted to now be able to support KAB particularly with ongoing fundraising initiatives.
Hazel Groves
Vice Chair
Appointed as Chair in 2020, Hazel stepped down in 2025 and takes on the role of Vice Chair. Hazel has experience of criminal and child protection law as well as being a school governor with responsibility for safeguarding, health and safety, training and finance. She also runs a local social group for women with sight impairment and a social media support group for families affected by childhood cataracts.
Paul Betts
Treasurer
Qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1980 and enjoyed a career as Financial Director on the board of companies operating in manufacturing, distribution and the motor trade. Proud son of Betty Betts MBE, former KAB chair.
Luke Cashin
Trustee
Luke was appointed as a trustee in 2023. Professionally, Luke is a Fundraising Manager working in Kent. He has been a supporter of KAB since witnessing a relative navigate their sight loss journey.
Tony Colwell
Trustee
Tony joined the Board of Trustees in 2018. Being visually impaired he is a service user of KAB. His working career was in the insurance and financial services sector, where he held senior management positions. In 1995 he and his wife, Hazel, set up and ran a successful independent healthcare consultancy advising and arranging medical and healthcare insurance for corporate clients. Tony is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a chartered insurance practitioner. He was a founder member of a cancer drop-in centre and was Chair of the now defunct Tonbridge Tunbridge Wells and Wealden branch of Guide Dogs.
Rory Heap
Trustee
Rory is visually impaired and appointed as a trustee in 2026.
James Milne
Trustee
James has more than 25 years’ experience in communications across a range of sectors, including senior leadership roles at the Lloyd’s Market Association and a global public relations agency. He is now Managing Director of Ranscombe Advisory, a strategic communications consultancy.
Having lived with significant hearing loss since birth, James has a personal understanding of the barriers faced by people with sensory impairments. As a Trustee, he brings expertise in strategic communications, branding, and stakeholder engagement, and is keen to help KAB raise its profile and improve the lives of people affected by sight loss.
Senior Management Team
Our senior management team bring a wealth of experience in their areas of expertise, effectively delivering our charitable aims and ensuring the sustainability of the charity.
Eithne Rynne
Chief Executive
Eithne joined KAB in 2016 from the London Voluntary Service Council where she also held the position of CEO. She’s responsible for delivering KAB’s strategic aims and has a wealth of voluntary sector management experience.
Katherine Barr
Director of Services
Katherine joined KAB in 2011 and has responsibility for client service delivery and leads on service development projects. Prior to KAB, Katherine worked in Service Management for Barnardo’s.
Andrea Forsythe
Director of Finance
Andrea joined KAB in 2016, is a Fellowship Member of the Association of Certified Accountants and has over 15 years experience as a qualified accountant. Andrea has a wide spectrum of experience within charity, corporate and education sectors, having previously worked for Canterbury College, Transport for London and Commission for Racial Equality.
Vanessa Stanley
Director of HR
Vanessa joined KAB in 2002 having worked in Human Resources for The Independent, The Independent on Sunday and Marie Curie Cancer Care. Vanessa is responsible for recruitment, performance management, HR policies and personnel training.
Working with us
Working for KAB means you’ll be joining an organisation that is the region’s leading provider of services for people who have a sight impairment. Find out more about what it means to work with us and view our current vacancies.
Ambassadors
Our Ambassadors are champions of KAB. They help to promote our work, share news and events, and raise our profile.
Our current Ambassadors come from a wide range of backgrounds. This includes influencers in business, as well as talented artists.
Wendy Daws
Artist and Volunteer
Wendy is an amazing volunteer who, through her own love of art, inspires so many others. She runs the art groups in Gravesend, Medway and Canterbury. Wendy is passionate about making art accessible to everyone and works with artists of all abilities to make works they can be proud of. Exhibiting work in galleries, Cathedrals and out in the community, our artists are very fortunate to have such an amazing tutor in Wendy.
You can find out more about Wendy and her work by visiting the Mess Room website.
Ray Johnson
Fundraiser and Runner
Ray has raised funds and awareness for KAB over many years. He took up the challenge to participate in the London Marathon back in 2001 for KAB and continues to do so each year since having raised over £100,000.
Although having recently retired from the insurance sector he sits on many economic boards to support Kent businesses and the City of London. He remains active within the insurance sector along with supporting environmental and Rotary projects.
He was recently appointed a Liveryman of the City and Merit holder of Folkestone Town Council. He is also the race director of the popular Folkestone Coastal 10K and Folkestone Half marathon.
Kate Bosley
Client
Kate is a former Trustee for KAB and client. She lost a quarter of her visual field in a cycling accident. However, that hasn’t stopped her from being active and continues to cycle (on tandem) with her husband. Kate did a fundraiser for KAB in 2020, cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End, then to Margate and then back to Maidstone! Kate also volunteers as a speaker and attends groups and schools to talk about the work of the charity.
You can learn more about Kate by watching her video.
Ryan Day
Client
Ryan has been a user of our services for the past four years since experiencing sudden serious sight loss in September 2018.
After years of benefitting from our services, Ryan is now on a mission to help us grow awareness of sight loss, especially in young people.
Before agreeing to this role, Ryan has worked as Chief Executive and Media Manager at Margate Football Club, as well as held the role of Community Champion at ASDA Broadstairs and Southampton.