Meet CEF's Production Chairperson, Rob Daly

by In Hye Lee, CEF Social Media Coordinator CEF is an organization built on volunteers. Everyone involved, from our bookkeeper to our photographers, is a volunteer. While some titles may seem self-explanatory, some are not as obvious, including Production Chair. Rob Daly is CEF's Production Chairperson since 2008. While Rob also participates in the summer photo shoots as a photographer, being the Production Chair entails some huge responsibilities that have a significant impact on CEF’s growth.

Rob first became involved with CEF as part of OJO Images Limited, an independent image producer that also works with Getty Images. In 2006, a head photographer at Getty Images asked the directors of OJO if any of them would be interested in becoming involved with the Compassionate Eye Foundation, which had been founded the previous year by Robert Kent. For a couple of years, Rob was simply a volunteer photographer, until he joined CEF on a trip to Guatemala in 2008, where he had the chance to see one of several communities benefiting from improved education and health standards brought about by CEF’s efforts. The following year, the role of Production Chairperson was created for Rob. As our first-ever Production Chair, Rob took it upon himself to define the role and its responsibilities and to streamline the production process.

Essentially, Rob uses his experience and knowledge of the stock photography industry to ensure that CEF maximizes its profits by using its resources efficiently. Rob must ensure that skilled stock photographers are shooting the right subject matter. Rob and Fiona Watson, CEF’s Creative Director, ensure that the budget is spent mostly on production, since the photos are the main source of CEF’s income other than a small amount of donations. The photos must have a longevity of at least three or four years on the Getty website. Since Rob’s induction as Production Chair, CEF has seen steady growth with our annual sales now.

Although it’s been extraordinarily difficult work, Rob has enjoyed his time as Production Chair. Based in London, Rob makes it out to CEF’s London photo shoots as often as he can since that's his favourite part of the job. “It’s quite inspiring to see people coming to do their bit for CEF,” he says.  CEF has Rob Daly to thank for our continuing success over the years, with stock photography being our main source of income. We hope Rob will continue to enjoy working with us for many years into the future.