Letter of reference from Dr. Ashish Sabharwal

I was a senior manager, (Director Programs, India) working for Smile Train India when I first met Brian Mullaney about 12 years ago.

He came to India regularly to meet with our team and visit hospitals all over India. Smile Train India is the biggest free cleft surgery program in the world and we provide 50,000+ free surgeries a year to children who otherwise never afford it. This program wouldn’t exist without Brian Mullaney.

In March, 2010, Brian Mullaney wanted to spend almost a month in India visiting partner hospitals and spending time with our team, so he brought his wife and his three young children (6,8 and 9 years old) for an extended stay. (He paid for all of their expenses.)

The extra time allowed Brian to travel and visit partner hospitals all over India instead of visiting just 1-2 Indian partners once a year. I spent a lot of time with his family and Brian during this visit. It was a delight to interact with Cricket and her children.  

A few months after Brian returned home, we were informed Brian and his team were forced out of Smile Train. Unfortunately, while Brian was working with us in India, his co-founder Charles Wang filled the ST board with his employees and began planning his takeover of Smile Train. 

Smile Train has never been the same.

I have heard a lot of very sad and troubling stories but I do not know the details of Wang’s legal attacks on Brian after he left.

But I do know that Brian is a fine person, with a really nice wife and family. I got to know their children Maura, Charlie and Quinn pretty well and I can imagine they are all grown up now or, almost.

I also know that the impact Brian Mullaney has had in India is massive and enduring.

Smile Train, a charity Brian conceived and tirelessly built from scratch for its first 10 years as he travelled 1+ million miles, has provided 350,000 life-changing surgeries for poor children just in India.  

I have personally met thousands of these children and their families and I have seen how these surgeries can change lives, change families and even change communities. It is breathtaking to see the impact a short, 45-minute, $250 cleft surgery can have.

Now you should consider the other 1.5 million cleft surgeries Smile Train has provided in almost 100 of the world’s poorest countries. With parents and siblings included, that’s tens of millions of lives changed for the better. I am extremely fortunate to have had a ringside view of these transformations, first in India and then across Southeast Asia, when I headed the programs as Vice President and Regional Director for Southeast Asia.

As a doctor, an Indian and a humanitarian, I am in awe of that.

And I am in awe of Brian Mullaney. It was because of his charisma, vision and efforts that Smile Train could grow so big in its formative years. It was during his leadership Smile Train could lay the strong foundation it stands on today. ‘Smile Pinki,’ the Oscar winning documentary on the life of a child born with a cleft won unparalleled recognition for Smile Train in 2008. Smile Train still basks in that glory.  

I am proud to be friends with Brian Mullaney.  

Dr. Ashish Sabharwal

Founder Chairman, Kindle Hope Foundation

President, Resident Welfare Association, Greenwoods City (B &C)

Formerly:

Vice President and Regional Director, Southeast Asia, Smile Train

National Finance Secretary, Indian Medical Association

National Joint Secretary, Indian Medical Association

Vice President, Delhi Medical Association

President, Indian Medical Association, South Delhi

Top-Level Management Executive, proficient in Developing and Managing Non Profit Organizations with demonstrable skills in International Collaborations,Strategy, Vibrant Dynamic Alliances, Team Building and Mentoring, Program Management, Fund Raising, Active effective Networking, Liaison with Government and other non profits. Have hands-on experience in successfully developing programs in 13 developing countries including India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar,Uzbekistan, Yemen, Papua New Guinea, Fiji. Adept at Developing and Managing Sustainable Programs, Creating Network, Building Relationships, Partnering with Governments, Developing Strategy & Policy Frameworks, Team Building and Mentoring, Training and Capacity Building, Registering Foundations to raise funds for mother organization in 3 countries. Executive positions in Healthcare Business Development