RNIB welcomes two new senior leaders to drive innovation in retail and services
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has announced the appointment of Mari Jones as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Daphne Mavroudi-Chocholi as their new Managing Director of RNIB Enterprises.
Mari joins RNIB as COO after a 16-year career in the telecoms industry, most recently as Emerging Channels Director at BT, prior to this she was Head of EE Retail Commercial Operations.
As RNIB’s COO, Mari will be responsible for delivering the charity’s UK-wide Sight Loss Advice Service and Eye Care Support Pathway to reach more blind and partially sighted people and deliver an exceptional service and experience to them.
Mari has several family members that live with sight loss, including her 10-year-old son, Finn, she said: “I couldn’t feel more privileged to be leading RNIB operations, a mission I’ll serve with determined energy to improve the lives of those living with sight loss today and for future generations.
“With deep lived experience on why this is imperative, I’m committed to build upon the solid foundations set to create a positive future; inclusive communities, technology innovation and support systems that will accelerate how all people in the UK living with sight loss, can live their very best life.
"I look forward to collaborating both with colleagues internally and with external partners on a collective mission to drive the creation of a world where there are no barriers for people with sight loss.”
Daphne Mavroudi-Chocholi joins RNIB after spending a year as Managing Director of Vetz Petz. Prior to that, she has been Head of Organisational Change at Barclays Bank, Vice President of Marketing Effectiveness at Nielsen and Chief Revenue Officer at Machine Vantage. As RNIB’s new Managing Director of RNIB Enterprises, Daphne will head up RNIB’s commercial operations arm which encompasses transcription, consulting and retail services.
Daphne commented on her appointment: “Innovation and inclusivity sit at the core of everything I do and have done in my career. I believe that RNIB shares these values, which is why this role felt like such a good fit.
“My ethos is that commercial rigour, coupled with a person centric approach, delivers value to the people we serve, our organisation, our partners and society as a whole.
“As the new Managing Director of RNIB Enterprises, I’m excited to bring my experience, expertise and passion to the team and contribute towards building a world with no barriers for people with sight loss.”
Matt Stringer, RNIB’s CEO said: “Last year, our Sight Loss Advice Service supported more than 100,000 people. It’s an essential resource for blind and partially sighted people across the country.
“Additionally, our work to create an Eye Care Support Pathway is a pivotal initiative which will revolutionise joined up healthcare for people living with sight loss. It’s for these reason that we knew we needed to find an exceptional COO to join our team, to lead these programmes and services, and we’re confident that we’ve found that in Mari.
“Her dedication to providing excellent service delivery and driving change to innovate services for future generations is outstanding. We’re delighted that she has chosen to join the team at RNIB.
“In addition, we’ve been working tirelessly to grow RNIB Enterprises so that we can ensure we’re offering the best possible products and services to people with sight loss.
“With a wealth of experience in strategic marketing, operations and leadership and a proven track record in driving innovation, Daphne was the perfect fit for the role of Managing Director, and we’re thrilled that she will be joining our team.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
All media enquiries to RNIB’s PR team on [email protected] or 020 7391 2223. For urgent enquiries out-of-hours, please call 07968 482812.
