Our people
Operation Smile’s leadership team helps to ensure we make the most efficient use of our precious resources. Our Board of Trustees and Medical Sub-Committee work tirelessly around the world to ensure our patients receive the highest quality cleft care and that we’re able to achieve our ambitious goal to reach 1 million patients in our next decade.
Our Board of Trustees
Karen Jaques
Since 2022, Karen Jaques has served as the senior regional vice president for sub-Saharan Africa at Operation Smile. She joined Operation Smile UK in January 2016 as its CEO, a position she held for five years before moving into the regional leadership role to guide and support the delivery of Operation Smile’s strategic, operational and program goals in ten countries in Africa. In November 2024, Karen joined the Operation Smile UK Board of Trustees as Interim Chair.
Prior to her work with Operation Smile, Karen worked in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East with international medical development organizations ORBIS, AMREF and THINK Consultants for over 25 years. Her experience spans entrepreneurial business leadership, development and income generation, marketing and communications in both the private and not for profit sectors.
Born in India, raised in Kenya and having lived in Pakistan, Yemen, Hong Kong and Singapore, she feels privileged to be focusing her energies on sub-Saharan Africa, bringing cleft care to the children of Africa where her heart remains and has always been. Karen currently resides in Devon, England, but travels extensively within Africa.
Dr Phil McDonald – MB ChB, FRCA (UK)
Phil graduated from Liverpool University in Medicine. He is a Consultant in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care at St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester.
He has been Medical Director and a Trustee on the Board of Operation Smile UK since it was registered in 2002 and was featured in the BBC1 documentary about Operation Smile, ‘The Facemakers’, in June 2000 and in the 2009/10 Blue Peter Charity Appeal, ‘Send a Smile’, which also supported the charity.
Phil has been an anaesthesia volunteer with Operation Smile since 1995 and has been on numerous medical projects in Columbia, the West Bank, Romania, India, China, the Philippines, Kenya and Ethiopia.
He is committed to the provision of sustainable healthcare solutions in developing countries and has worked tirelessly to develop the anaesthesia capacity of Jimma University Hospital, Jimma, Ethiopia through the establishment of their Anaesthesia Residency Programme.
Chris Pinnington
Chris has spent his career managing Global Communications agencies, specialising in advertising, digital, PR, media and direct marketing.
He worked 32 years at Havas, most recently as Global Chief Operating Officer. Now a non-executive director, investor and adviser helping high potential companies to realise their true potential.
Chris joined Operation Smile UK’s Board of Trustees in February 2018. He brings a wealth of communication expertise to Operation Smile and works with us to ensure appropriate and relevant mix of communications across diverse communications channels.
Saqib Alam
Saqib is an international lawyer who advises global companies, boards and individuals facing business-critical issues and helps them resolve such matters from a legal and reputational standpoint. Practicing in London for the last 15 years, Saqib has represented companies and individuals in regulatory investigations, litigation and corporate crises covering dozens of countries around the world.
Saqib graduated from King’s College, University of London, with First Class Honours in Law in 2006. He has previously served as a Justice’s Law Clerk in the Supreme Court of Singapore and as an Assistant Registrar in the High Court of Singapore. He is admitted to practice law in New York, England and Singapore. Saqib joined Operation Smile UK’s Board of Trustees in January 2024.
Diana Dalton
Diana is a Senior Civil Servant at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office with a career anchored in international development.
She currently heads up FCDO’s work on Gender and Equalities, working to advance the rights and opportunities for women and girls and marginalised groups around the world. Previous FCDO roles include Head of the Research Department, Head of the UN and Commonwealth Department and Country Director for the expansive UK development operation in Bangladesh.
Before joining the UK’s civil service, Diana held different leadership and operational roles in the international development NGO sector, including Country Director for Voluntary Service Overseas for the Thai and Myanmar programme and Global Communications and Advocacy Manager for the International Save the Children Alliance. After many years working in London and overseas, Diana moved to Scotland and is now based in Edinburgh.
Judy Nyaga
Judy is currently the Company Secretary of Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited and Regional Head for Corporate Governance in Africa & Middle East.
Judy joined the Board of Trustees of Operation Smile UK in January 2024 and brings on board over 20 years of legal and corporate governance experience in the banking industry with a strong track record of driving improvement in the effectiveness of Boards in Kenya and across Africa, Middle East, ASEAN and South Asia.
Medical Sub-Committee
Operation Smile’s Medical Subcommittee sets the standards for recruiting medical volunteers in the UK. They provide oversight and guidance to the board and senior leadership team about Operation Smile UK supported programmes.
Members
The Medical Committee is comprised of experts in their fields, who attend medical projects regularly and are in contact with fellow Operation Smile volunteers.
Dr Phil McDonald – MB ChB, FRCA (UK)
Phil graduated from Liverpool University in Medicine. He is a Consultant in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care at St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester.
He has been Medical Director and a Trustee on the Board of Operation Smile UK since it was registered in 2002 and was featured in the BBC1 documentary about Operation Smile, ‘The Facemakers’, in June 2000 and in the 2009/10 Blue Peter Charity Appeal, ‘Send a Smile’, which also supported the charity.
Phil has been an anaesthesia volunteer with Operation Smile since 1995 and has been on numerous medical projects in Columbia, the West Bank, Romania, India, China, the Philippines, Kenya and Ethiopia.
He is committed to the provision of sustainable healthcare solutions in developing countries and has worked tirelessly to develop the anaesthesia capacity of Jimma University Hospital, Jimma, Ethiopia through the establishment of their Anaesthesia Residency Programme.
Jackie Matthews
Jackie Matthews works as a cleft clinical nurse specialist (CNS) for South Thames cleft service, at St Thomas’s Hospital. She is an outreach CNS, covering Kent, East and West Sussex; she assesses new-borns, establishes feeding and supports patients through the cleft pathway to surgery, and beyond, as part of the wider multidisciplinary team. Her experience is as a surgical nurse, theatre recovery and health visitor (public health).
Jackie has volunteered with Operation Smile since 2011 and is part of the UK Medical Subcommittee. She attended five medical missions in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Ghana and Malawi. She is involved with teaching and representing the charity at fundraising events. She is passionate about giving everyone the healthcare and support they deserve to live their life to the full.
Wg Cdr Ankur Pandya
Qualifications: MBBS, MS, MCh, Dip. Nat. Board (Gen) (Plast), FRCS(Ed), FRCS(Glas) Eur.Dip. Hand Surg, FRCS (Plast), DMCC, OStJ. , RAF.
Ankur is a consultant plastic, hand & reconstructive surgeon, working both within the NHS and a full time Officer in the Royal Air Force Medical Services. He has been a volunteer with Operation Smile since 2006 and has completed 43 international medical missions all over the world. He was the regional medical officer for Operation Smile in the Central Region (2008-2010), the deputy chief medical officer worldwide in charge of Governance and Quality Assurance (2010-2015) and has concentrated on volunteering and teaching on Operation Smile missions in cleft and post burn conditions.
Our co-founders
Kathy Magee
Kathy Magee is the President and CEO of Operation Smile, which she co-founded in 1982 with her husband, Dr. Bill Magee. She currently leads all aspects of the organisation at our global headquarters.
As Co-Founder and a lifetime member of the Board of Directors, Kathy has been instrumental in shaping the organisation’s future strategy and leading project design. She has grown and expanded many of Operation Smile’s signature initiatives, including student programmes and Women in Medicine.
In more than forty years of work with Operation Smile, Kathy has traveled overseas extensively to expand in-country boards while cultivating key corporate, diplomatic, government and medical partnerships. She has also fostered university partnerships and research with academic institutions to better understand the causes of cleft.
Dr Bill Magee
Bill Magee Jr., D.D.S., M.D., is a plastic and craniofacial surgeon who founded Operation Smile in 1982 with his wife, Kathleen S. Magee. Today he serves as the organisation’s CEO Emeritus at our global headquarters. From 1982-2023 he was Operation Smile’s CEO.
During the last four decades Bill has trained and mentored physicians worldwide and taken Operation Smile to more than 60 countries around the world. His passion and commitment have helped build Operation Smile’s global reputation as a highly-respected and leading organisation in cleft care provision for infants, children and young adults.
