A Message from the Board of Trustees

After nearly two decades of extraordinary leadership, our Chair and co-founder Brian Sommerlad has stepped down from his role as Chair of Trustees to enable him to support his wife during difficult and lengthy medical treatment. We know that everyone connected with CLEFT will join us in sending Brian and his family our warmest wishes during this difficult time.

CLEFT simply would not exist without Brian. His story is, in so many ways, the story of CLEFT. When he co-founded the charity in 2007, he did so with a clear and a passionate vision, to make a real and long-lasting difference to the lives of people affected by cleft conditions. And this has guided every stage of the charity's journey ever since.

Under Brian's leadership, CLEFT has grown from an ambitious idea into an established international charity. Over the years, he has led the organisation through countless milestones, including its transition to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) five years ago - a landmark moment - that set strong and sustainable foundations for our future.

Nowhere is Brian's impact more evident than in his international work. Across countries where access to specialist cleft care was limited or simply unavailable, his work has been transformative. His drive is perhaps best demonstrated in Bangladesh. Through his determination to establish CLEFT's centre in Dhaka, and his commitment to developing a highly skilled local team, patients are now able to access expert cleft care that would otherwise have been beyond their reach. This is a legacy that will continue transforming lives for generations to come.

A true pioneer in cleft care, Brian has combined exceptional clinical expertise with genuine compassion and heart. His warmth, vision and unwavering belief in our mission have shaped CLEFT profoundly, and his influence and impact will be seen in every life we continue to change.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we offer our deep gratitude for everything Brian has given to CLEFT, to the wider field of cleft care, and to the many people whose lives he has touched.

Looking Ahead

While this marks the end of an important chapter, our focus and resolve to deliver the mission Brian helped create, is unchanged.

The Board has agreed the next steps for CLEFT's leadership and we will share a further announcement about our new Chair shortly. Under the stewardship of our experienced Board, dedicated staff and committed supporters, CLEFT's work continues with the same purpose, determination and compassion that Brian has inspired from the very beginning.

"Brian has given CLEFT so much over the past two decades. On behalf of the Board, our staff and everyone whose lives have been touched by his work, I want to thank him for his extraordinary contribution and leadership. We are committed to building on the foundations he has created and continuing the mission that has always been at the heart of CLEFT."

Marie Pinkstone, Vice Chair

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

[email protected]

Pictured above from left: a mother with one of the patients being seen in the National Institute for Burns and Plastic Surgery, Bangladesh, with Professor Mohammed Rabiul Karim Khan (Papon), Anannya Hassan and Brian Sommerlad.