Role of BVA Council

The role of BVA Council is:

• to represent members’ views on matters of veterinary policy
• to advise the Board on matters of veterinary policy 
• to appoint 4 members as Directors of the Board
• to approve new members of the Association and to recommend honorary members, honorary associates, and life members for election at the AGM
• to recommend the Council’s preferred candidates for BVA President and Junior Vice President at the AGM

Composition of Council

BVA Council is chaired by the BVA President and has 43 voting members and 6 non-voting members:

• 3 Officers (President, Junior Vice President and Senior Vice President)
• 3 immediate past presidents
• 9 elected regional representatives for England
• 1 elected regional representative for Scotland
• 1 elected regional representative for Wales
• 1 elected regional representative for Northern Ireland
• 1 Scottish Branch representative
• 1 Welsh Branch representative
• 1 Northern Ireland Branch representative
• 19 specialist division representatives
• 2 recent graduate representatives
• 1 Chair of Policy Committee
• 1 Chair of Ethics and Welfare Advisory Panel (in attendance by agreement, non-voting)
• 1 Chair of AWF Trustees (in attendance by agreement, non-voting)
• 4 affiliate representatives from BVNA, VPMA, AVTRW, and BVLGBT+ (non-voting)

Specialist division representatives

We have 20 Specialist divisions representing veterinary surgeons in different specialisms across the UK.

• Adrienne Conroy - Association of Government Vets
• Jayson Hughes - Association of Veterinary Students
• Rose Jackson - British Cattle Vet Association
• Kate Blakeman - British Equine Veterinary Association
• Julian Hoad - British Small Animal Veterinary Association
• Vacant - British Veterinary Hospitals Association
• Henri Kodilinye-Sims - British Veterinary Poultry Association
• Elliott Simpson-Brown - British Veterinary Zoological Society
• Matthijs Metselaar - Fish Veterinary Society
• Jessica Partlett - Goat Veterinary Society
• Rita Rose - Laboratory Animals Veterinary Association
• Gemma Thwaites - Pig Veterinary Society
• Ross Curnick - Royal Army Veterinary Corps
• Kim Hamer - Sheep Veterinary Society
• Debra Teo - Society of Greyhound Veterinarians
• Ami Sawran - Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons
• Gareth Boyes - British Deer Veterinary Association
• Lewis Grant - Veterinary Public Health Association

Regional representatives

We have 12 regional representatives on Council from across the UK. 

• Alastair George - Scotland
• Sara Jackson - North East
• Kate Higgins - North West
• Kate Sharpe - Yorkshire and Humber
• Laura Copley - East Midlands
• Nick Jackson - West Midlands
• Lucy Dobree - East of England
• Fieke Molenaar - South East
• Veselina Trufcheva-Edwards - London
• Fergus Mitchell - South West
• James Taylor - Wales
• Joleen Little - Northern Ireland