LEADERSHIP
We have a group of leading executives, business strategists, scientists and inventors guiding our translational research activities

Prof. Kovin Naidoo
Chief Executive Officer
Professor Naidoo is an academic, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner, optometrist and an internationally celebrated public health leader. In addition to his role as CEO, he is Global Director of the Our Children's Vision campaign. He is on the Board of Trustees of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), trustee of VISION 2020, a member of the World Council of Optometry Governing Board, and member of the World Health Organization Refractive Error Working Group.
Professor Naidoo is an academic, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner, optometrist and an internationally celebrated public health leader. In addition to his role as CEO, he is Global Director of the Our Children's Vision campaign. He is on the Board of Trustees of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), trustee of VISION 2020, a member of the World Council of Optometry Governing Board, and member of the World Health Organization Refractive Error Working Group.

Yvette Waddell
Chief Operating Officer
Yvette Waddell leads the business development, finance and governance functions that help deliver Brien Holden’s strategic objectives. She was appointed COO in 2003, following previous roles as General Manager and Executive Director. She oversees commercialisation transactions and negotiations, also holding responsibility for operational support function and infrastructure. Yvette replaced Professor Brien Holden on the board of Brien Holden Vision Institute in July 2015.
Yvette Waddell leads the business development, finance and governance functions that help deliver Brien Holden’s strategic objectives. She was appointed COO in 2003, following previous roles as General Manager and Executive Director. She oversees commercialisation transactions and negotiations, also holding responsibility for operational support function and infrastructure. Yvette replaced Professor Brien Holden on the board of Brien Holden Vision Institute in July 2015.

Prof. Arthur Ho
Chief Scientist and Innovation Officer
Arthur Ho is one of Australia’s leading inventors in the medical devices field. He has designed an array of ophthalmic technology and instrumentation, including the optical quality analyser which provides rapid evaluation of small precision optical components (such as intra-ocular lenses); a surgical microscope-mounted autorefractor and a surgical microscope-base optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. Arthur is named as an inventor on 43 families of issued/granted patents and 52 families of published patent applications.
Arthur Ho is one of Australia’s leading inventors in the medical devices field. He has designed an array of ophthalmic technology and instrumentation, including the optical quality analyser which provides rapid evaluation of small precision optical components (such as intra-ocular lenses); a surgical microscope-mounted autorefractor and a surgical microscope-base optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. Arthur is named as an inventor on 43 families of issued/granted patents and 52 families of published patent applications.

Prof. Padmaja Sankaridurg
Myopia program leader and Manager of Intellectual Property
Padmaja Sankaridurg is one of the world’s leading myopia researchers. She was Leader of the Vision CRC Myopia Program, a 12-year global collaboration to develop optical products to manage myopia. In 2015 she received the Garland W Clay award from the American Academy of Optometry as the lead author on most significant paper published in the journal Optometry & Vision Science, over the preceding 5 years.
Padmaja Sankaridurg is one of the world’s leading myopia researchers. She was Leader of the Vision CRC Myopia Program, a 12-year global collaboration to develop optical products to manage myopia. In 2015 she received the Garland W Clay award from the American Academy of Optometry as the lead author on most significant paper published in the journal Optometry & Vision Science, over the preceding 5 years.

Dr Ravi C Bakaraju
Head of Research and Development
Ravi Bakaraju is a lead inventor on a number of granted patents and several other pending patent applications around lens designs and concepts spanning myopia control technology, novel presbyopia corrections, astigmatism correction and other innovative vision correction platforms. He is the recipient of the prestigious Irvin M. and Beatrice Borish Award from the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) in 2015, as an outstanding young scientist.
Ravi Bakaraju is a lead inventor on a number of granted patents and several other pending patent applications around lens designs and concepts spanning myopia control technology, novel presbyopia corrections, astigmatism correction and other innovative vision correction platforms. He is the recipient of the prestigious Irvin M. and Beatrice Borish Award from the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) in 2015, as an outstanding young scientist.

Dr Judith Flanagan
Leader of Ocular Therapeutics
Judith Flanagon completed her BSc Honours degree in Genetics and Biochemistry at Sydney University before moving to California to participate in the International Human Genome Consortium that published the first complete human genome sequence. She completed her PhD in Medicine in 2003 at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley and an Assistant Professorship in the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University of California, San Francisco.
Judith Flanagon completed her BSc Honours degree in Genetics and Biochemistry at Sydney University before moving to California to participate in the International Human Genome Consortium that published the first complete human genome sequence. She completed her PhD in Medicine in 2003 at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley and an Assistant Professorship in the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University of California, San Francisco.

Assoc Prof Klaus Ehrmann
Director of Technology
Klaus Ehrmann is an outstanding engineer who has created a range of unique custom built instruments and software for our research activities. Most recently he has built an instrument, based on the liquid jet concept, to measure ocular sensitivity, which can potentially enable practitioners to quickly measure discomfort and inform their diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
Klaus Ehrmann is an outstanding engineer who has created a range of unique custom built instruments and software for our research activities. Most recently he has built an instrument, based on the liquid jet concept, to measure ocular sensitivity, which can potentially enable practitioners to quickly measure discomfort and inform their diagnosis and treatment recommendations.