Our structure

BVA Council

Following the open application period for regional representatives on BVA Council we are pleased to announce the candidates in the contested regions:

East Midlands

Rachel Dean

Charlotte Farr

North East

Sara Jackson

Inge Wright

Northern Ireland

Robert Huey

Mark Little

BVA members in the region will be invited to vote for their preferred candidate and will receive voting instructions on 12 January from Civica, who are running the election process on our behalf. Voting will close 2 February and you must cast your vote by the deadline in order for it to be counted. If you do not receive voting instructions from Civica please contact Amelia Findon, Policy and Governance Director [email protected]

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)

Council papers and minutes

BVA members can download the latest Council papers and minutes

Download now

Council members

BVA Officers

  • Rob Williams - President (Chair)
  • Liz Mullineaux - Senior Vice President
  • Gwen Rees - Junior Vice President

Branch representatives

  • Phoebe McCarter - Welsh Branch
  • Vivienne Mackinnon - Scottish Branch
  • Kirsten Dunbar - Northern Ireland Branch

Specialist division representatives

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

  • Anthony Ridge - Association of Government Vets
  • Jayson Hughes - Association of Veterinary Students
  • David Black - British Cattle Vet Association
  • Imogen Burrows - British Equine Veterinary Association
  • David Godfrey - British Small Animal Veterinary Association
  • Martin Smith - British Veterinary Hospitals Association
  • Charlotte Commins - British Veterinary Poultry Association
  • Elliott Simpson-Brown - British Veterinary Zoological Society
  • Máirín-Rua Máirín-Rua - Fish Veterinary Society
  • Ben Dustan - Goat Veterinary Society
  • Anja Petrie - Laboratory Animals Veterinary Association
  • Dan Tucker - Pig Veterinary Society
  • Ross Curnick - Royal Army Veterinary Corps
  • Philippa Page - Sheep Veterinary Society
  • Andrew Bartholomew - 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. 

Chairs of BVA standing committees

  • Julie Gibson - Policy Committee
  • Rebecca Swan - Ethics and Welfare Advisory Panel (non-voting)
  • Julian Kupfer - Animal Welfare Foundation (non-voting)
  • Dan Makin – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group (non-voting)

Affiliate representatives

  • Miles Russell - Veterinary Management Group
  • Sarah Holliday - British Veterinary Nursing Association
  • Finn Twomey - Association for Veterinary Teaching and Research Work
  • Peter Heather – British Veterinary Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and others Society

Past Presidents

  • Anna Judson
  • Malcolm Morley
  • Justine Shotton

Recent graduates

  • Charlotte Jones
  • Myrtidiotissa Nikolakou Petropoulou