AOP Councillors appointed for 2023

The AOP has welcomed 14 councillors to the AOP Council in designated positions.

The new councillors were confirmed following an appointment process that ran between 16 February and 15 March 2023.

The AOP received a high number of applications this year, incoming chair of AOP Council, Emma Spofforth, shared: “We appreciate and thank all the members who stepped forward this year. We saw a huge increase in the number of applications and as always the standard was incredibly high – making the appointments process all the more difficult.”

Appointed councillors include:

• Mehul Patel, director of a multiple practice
• Kevin Thompson, director of an independent practice
• Josie Evans, employee of an independent practice
• Karan Vyas, employee of a multiple practice
• Meera Sodha, locum optometrist
• Paul Chapman-Hatchett, domiciliary care optometrist
• Alisha Mann, hospital optometrist
• Ankur Trivedi, independent prescriber
• Priya Tanda, pre-registration optometrist
• Habeeb Rahman, undergraduate student optometrist
• Ali Yasen, newly-qualified and early-career optometrist
• Brian McKeown, optometrist for Northern Ireland
• Erica Campbell-Walker, optometrist for Scotland
• Kamal Kalsi, optometrist for Wales.

The terms of office for the new councillors will begin on 7 June 2023.

Adam Sampson, chief executive of the AOP, welcomed the new councillors, sharing: “It is a great asset to any organisation to have such a broad range of knowledge to draw on to inform our policy work and services for members, especially in what is a hugely pivotal time for the profession.”

Sampson thanked current and departing Councillors, commending their “exceptional dedication and hard work.”

The Council is made up of 34 members, with 14 elected to represent geographical areas across the UK, and 20 Councillors with designated positions, representing the different modes of practice and career stages seen across the AOP membership.

A full list of Council members can be found on the AOP website, and AOP members are able to contact Councillors through the online community forums.

Lead image: the outgoing AOP Council