Management Committee
Egypt Equine Aid
is grateful to its Management Committee for generously giving their time, skills and resources.
Jill Barton OAM
Co-Founder & CEO
Jill’s love for horses began early, with her first job at a riding school at age 14. Although she pursued a career in the medical field, her passion for animal welfare led to lifelong involvement in charities and rescues.
In 2013, after witnessing the distressing conditions of animals in the pyramid area of Giza, Egypt, Jill and her former husband Warren made a life-changing decision to sell their family home and use the funds to establish Egypt Equine Aid. Since 2014, Jill has lived in Egypt, dedicating herself to the mission of providing essential care for working horses and donkeys.
In 2022, after a two-year delay due to the pandemic, Jill was honoured with the Order of Australia medal for her remarkable contributions to animal welfare.
Dr. Med. Vet. Muriel Sacks
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Chairperson, Veterinary Technical Director
Dr Sacks is a highly-qualified Equine veterinarian.
Originally from Switzerland, she worked in Switzerland, Australia and Germany as an Equine Vet.
She has published research on a number of topics including Equine Cardiology and Anesthesia.
Muriel visited EEA in 2017 and 2023 and provided on-site and remote expert advice and training for our staff as a Veterinary Advisor, and has been acting as Chair of the Charity since 2022.
Nicole Van de Gard
BEd (Hons), LLB, Grad.Dip. Legal Practice, MEd
Chairperson, Veterinary Technical Director
Nicole is a teacher and a lawyer and has worked in both professions.
She now works in a business improvement team at a university in Sydney.
Nicole has been a passionate supporter of animal charities since childhood and has played an active role in a variety of charities.
Phoebe Dugdale
Veterinarian
I began as a volunteer in early 2019 after seeing the horrendous state of animal welfare in Egypt. Understanding the desperate need for EEA, I sought to become as involved as I could. Finding my place and developing my skills with EEA has been a great privilege.
I grew up in the horse world in Newmarket in the UK and I was a horseback guide in the South African bush for 6 years, so horses are where I will always feel at home.
My plan is to stay with EEA to help the equine beasts of burden until a day comes that they no longer require this help.
Saritha Silvaraju
CPA
Accountant & Finance Director
When I was looking for volunteer opportunities to give back to the community, a friend introduced me to Egypt Equine Aid. After learning about the great work done by the organisation to help these innocent animals, I instantly wanted to be a small part of this great organisation.
As a CPA-qualified accountant with over 10 years of experience in the Accounting & Finance field, I am hoping to provide any support I can to Jill and her team and make a difference to the lives of these beautiful animals.
Jeff Robson
Masters (Applied Finance), BCom (Accounting & Information Systems), CISA, GAICD, FAIM, F Fin, Microsoft Excel Expert
Treasurer
Jeff is the founding Director and Principal Business Analyst at Access Analytic Solutions. He has over 20 years’ experience in chartered accounting, business management and consulting.
Jeff holds a Masters in Applied Finance and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor. He is highly regarded and recognised around the world as an expert in the field of financial modelling.
He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has been recognised as a Fellow of both the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and the Australian Institute of Management.
Jeff has extensive experience in best practice financial modelling, management reporting, business analysis, and spreadsheet auditing and is also an entertaining international presenter and trainer on these subjects.
Jeff joined the Management Committee of Egypt Equine Aid in 2016 and served for 7 years as the Chair.