Operation Smile

And so that's been in the back of my mind for years.

And then I was at a thing called Operation Smile, which is a cleft lip and palate company that helps and does good work around the world.

So I was doing a speaking engagement there.

So I do like a speech.

why did you want to be a surgeon that's so interesting well what is specifically about surgeon that you wanted to be

When I was seven, I saw a flyer for a charity group called Operation Smile.

And they provide free life-saving surgeries to kids in developing countries with cleft conditions, like cleft lip and palate.

And I went to my dad with that flyer.

I learned more about purely cosmetic stuff.

I learned about all that stuff.

I actually ended up on the 35th anniversary mission of Operation Smile itself.

So I got to meet the co-founder of the organization and shadow him.

You also serve on other boards online.

Operation Smile, 365 Health, Cherish Children Adoption International.

You're on Colorado's Natural Medicine Advisory Board.

Wow.

And today, I'm really excited about today's guest.

So we have Suniya Merchant, and she is one of the founders of the Operation Smile Houston Annual Gala.

And over the last 10 years, this has really grown organically and exponentially to really really attract a really wide range of folks within the Houston community.

And you know, it is a very, very unique thing when an organization can do that.

And, you know, I was talking with Sunia in the green room and we've, You know, we were talking about how the event has evolved over the last decade.

So this is going to be a really fun conversation.

And I can't think of anybody better to talk about this and celebrate the success of a decade of the Operation Smile Houston Gala.

So with that, Sania, welcome.

So hello, everybody.

Welcome to the next episode of the EMEA Recruitment Podcast in partnership, as ever, with our good friends over at Operation Smile.

And we're delighted to welcome Albert onto the show today, which we hope is going to be a really interesting and insightful conversation.

So hopefully you can still hear and see me okay, Albert.

Excellent, excellent.

So So we'll just go straight into it, really.

And obviously what we try to do at the start of these shows is link into the relationship that we have with Operation Smile and ask you a question to ease you into the show.

So I thought I'd ask you, what was the last thing that made you smile, Albert? Oh.

And I thought this was unfinished business.

And in fact, after I did those exams, I then learned Spanish to go to South America with Operation Smile, because I wanted to speak to the families.

And of course, having done that, and it was much easier.

And then I did a creative writing degree part-time at London's nighttime university, Birkbeck, you know, and that took four years because I always had this idea that I might like to write, which I had a very romanticized idea that, you know, one day I would write and it would be lovely and I would get up in the morning and have a cup of coffee and walk the dog and then I would sit down and all this creative stuff would flow and I would write these masterpieces.