Open Sight Hampshire is delighted to announce Chris Dixon (above) as its new Chief Executive. Chris takes over from David McKeigue who had been the charity’s CEO for since 2016.
Chris brings with him more than 27 years of experience of working in the third sector for a variety of charitable organisations delivering youth work, family support, housing, care and wider services to some of the most vulnerable members in the community, including Citizen’s Advice Southampton, The Enham Trust, and Andover Mencap.
Open Sight Hampshire was established more than 100 years ago and provides a variety of services to help adults and children who have a range of sight conditions. For example, community-based Sight Hubs across the county offer technology support and independent living advice while the eye health awareness and sight loss prevention scheme in schools teaches children about sight loss and the importance of protecting eyes from the sun, having regular eye tests, a healthy diet and exercising regularly as well as the detrimental effects of smoking.
Chris, who is a father-of-two and lives in Southampton, said: “I am thrilled to be joining Open Sight Hampshire and using my knowledge, skills, and experience to lead the organisation to meet the needs of our community. The opportunity to join a charity as it moves into its second 100 years is one of privilege, honour and excitement. I am looking forward to working with the committed team of staff and volunteers to develop services and support that enable those with a visual impairment to live their best lives.”
Debbie Ross, Interim CEO of Open Sight Hampshire, said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris to our team and excited to see where he will lead the charity over the next few years. We would like to thank David for all his hard work and support over the past eight years, especially through the pandemic. We would like to wish him well for the future.”
