WHY CHOOSE AN INDEPENDENT PRACTICE?
Our Independent Practitioners are highly qualified, skilled professionals, with your best interests at heart. They benefit from years of training and experience, designed to take care of your eyes. They will take time to understand you and your lifestyle and make the best recommendations to suit your needs.
As an independent practice we are able to choose from a wide range of manufacturers to find the best spectacles and contact lenses for you.
We strongly believe in continuity of care. We are proud to have been looking after the eyecare needs of our many long term existing patients and look forward to looking after your eyes for many years to come.
The Team
Divia Gudka
Practice Manager
Divia’s role completely changed after Chetan and Divia bought the practice. She is a qualified accountant having been self-employed for many years and then moving to a senior role at a local hospice for 2 years. Since then having purchased the practice she is now the Practice Manager and looking forward to getting to know the patients.
Divia lives locally and enjoys exploring the Chilterns, travelling abroad and gardening.
Chetan Gudka
BSc (Hons) MCOptom
Chetan graduated from Aston University in 1989. Since then he has worked in a variety of locations and joined our practice in May 2015. He enjoys working in the field of contact lenses, children’s eyecare and oculomotor instability examination.
Outside of work he likes travelling within the UK and abroad, gardening and cooking.
Bernadette Waters
Bsc (Hons) MCOptom
Sujiththa Shankar BSc(Hons) MCOptom
Sujiththa graduated from Aston university in 2010 with first class honours. She has worked for 12 years in practice in North West London before joining the team at Brian Suttie Chesham in June 2022. She has also completed professional examination in glaucoma during her maternity leave.
She enjoys listening to audiobooks and podcasts and has a keen interest in yoga and Pilates. When Sujiththa is not working she likes to spend time with her young children.
Katherine Steed
Having worked in Optics since she was 19, Katherine is now in her final year of her degree in Ophthalmic dispensing.
Her professional interests include ocular anatomy and frame design and she is delighted to work in a practice that supports both!
In her spare time Katherine enjoys painting, baking, and walking. She can often be found surrounded by cats and pastry.
Martin Fowler
Martin joined Brian Suttie Chesham in November 2023 and has been in optics for the past 27 years incorporating roles across all aspects including lab work, contact lens and retail in high street multiples. His main work related interests are in ophthalmic technology, lens and frame design.
Away from work he enjoys photography, walking, live music, collecting music and playing the guitar. He has a pet snake Cassie, a boa constrictor!
Diane Torrance
Diane is our optical assistant and joined the team in May 2022. She has been in the optics for 18 years, having worked at various multiples. Diane enjoys her work, helping people have the best out of their visit to the practice. She looks forward to many more years and eyes to come.
Diane is originally from Inverness, she has 3 children and enjoys spending time with her extended family. She is a confessed foodie and also enjoys the gym and watching movies.
Lynda Pitt
Lynda has been working on reception at Brian Suttie since 2015. Prior to this she worked in retail customer facing management role with a focus on customer service. She is married with three grown up children.
Her hobbies include playing competitive tennis, attending regular jazzercize classes, walking, cycling, music and sewing with an interest in interior design and crafts.
Gill Merrell
Prior to joining Brian Suttie in 2018 Gill has worked for British Airways and then in Education. Gill would very much consider herself a people person and strives to ensure our patients are happy and satisfied with the professional service they receive when visiting the practice.
Outside of work, having lived locally for over 30 years, Gill enjoys walking her pet Cockapoo; travelling and relaxing with a good book.
Johanna Free
Johanna graduated from Winchester School of Art in 1985 with a BA (Hons) in Printed Textiles & Fashion. She has a retail background in a well-known London store selling scarves, fabrics and managing the jewellery department. She joined Brian Suttie in 2015.
Her interests are visiting archaeological sites, walking and travelling to unusual destinations.
Katie Frankham
Katie joined Brian Suttie Chesham in October 2021 working on Saturdays helping out at reception and with the practice social media.
Katie is currently studying for her A levels at Chesham Grammar and is interested in pursuing a career in engineering. In her spare time she enjoys Formula 1 and watching movies.