Council appointments 2024
The next stage for elected and appointed positions on Council
Elected positions
Council elections will be taking place in the following constituencies with the listed candidates:
- North East England – Simon Raw, Martin Sharman
- South West England – Karen Gennard, Jesus Sastre, Dan Varcoe
- West Midlands – Sukhi Drake, Sofia Fazal, Shana Parveen, Mital Visana
- East of England – Nicholas Hagan, Seema Rauniar
Members in the contested areas will be sent an email by the AOP’s election partner, Civica, on Thursday 28 March with their unique invitation to vote.
Eligible members in the contested constituencies are encouraged to cast their vote by 23 April.
The following constituencies are uncontested:
- East Midlands
- London
- North West England
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland
- Wales
The results of the elections will be announced in May 2024.
Appointed positions
The AOP Appointments Committee will be reviewing candidates for the following positions:
- Undergraduate student
- Pre registration optometrist
- Newly qualified optometrist
- Dispensing optician
The undergraduate student and pre-registration optometrist positions have a term of office of one year. The newly-qualified and early career posts have a two-year term running to a maximum of six years. The dispensing optician post is a three-year term running to a maximum of nine years.
The work of an AOP Councillor
AOP Councillors represent members and help to ensure that members’ views across the UK and the profession are represented in policymaking. A significant element of a Councillor’s role is to communicate with members through various channels and to collate and present their opinions, interests and concerns at the three annual Council meetings.
Our Councillors also promote and actively encourage membership of the AOP, attend regional CPD events, and refer members to the right person within the AOP to provide answers, advice and support.
Councillors have told us that being part of the AOP Council is a rewarding experience, with opportunities to develop new skills, network and to help bring about positive change to the future of the profession.