New AOP Council announced

The Association of Optometrists (AOP) is pleased to announce its new Council representatives.

Henrietta Alderman, AOP Chief Executive, said: “I’m delighted to be welcoming our new Council, in a new structure designed to represent the full range of our membership. Throughout the pandemic, we have seen tremendous commitment from optometrists to provide eye care. This election is yet another example of that dedication, with more members stepping forward and participating in the process than in previous years.”

Ms Alderman continued: “I would like to sincerely thank our current and departing Councillors for all their hard work in very exceptional circumstances.”

Incoming Chair of AOP Council, Julie-Anne Little said: “It’s great to see such enthusiasm in the profession to share experiences and tackle issues together. The new structure also offers a different dynamic with an increased number of posts that reflect the diverse roles of our members.”

New Councillor, Kris Cottier, who will be the first to serve in the role for Locum optometrists, said: “I am humbled to be appointed to the AOP Council to be the voice of freelance and locum optometrists. The past year has been a challenge to the profession in general and I welcome the opportunity to highlight the ongoing challenges of freelance and locum work.”

AOP Councillors will begin their terms of office on 9 June 2021. The full list can be found at www.aop.org.uk/elections

Newly elected and appointed Council members

Councillor	Representing
James Brawn	Wales
Jagdeep Kaur Gill	London
Rachel Hiscox	South East England
Kamaljit Kalsi	Wales
Stephanie Kearney	Scotland
Inderpal Ghuman	Undergraduate Student optometrists
Luke McRoy-Jones	Pre-registration optometrists
Phillip Buckhurst	University lecturers (nominated by the Optometry Schools Council)
Ali Yasen	Newly-qualified & early career optometrists
Kris Cottier	Locum optometrists
Paul Chapman-Hatchett	Domiciliary care optometrists
Fatima Nawaz	Independent prescribing optometrists
Jasmine Kaur Matharu	Hospital optometrists
Kevin Thompson	Directors of independent practices
Josephine Evans	Employees of independent practices
Mehul Patel	Directors of multiple practices
Karan Vyas	Employees of multiple practices

The AOP Council elections took place between 12 March and 26 March 2021. AOP members were invited to vote in the seven constituencies where there were more candidates than vacancies: Scotland, North West England, East Midlands, West Midlands, London, South East England, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

The AOP Board appointed other Councillors to represent different sectors of the membership. In 2021 for the first time this includes Councillors representing directors of independent practices, directors of multiple practices, domiciliary care optometrists, employees of independent practices, employees of multiple practices, independent prescribing optometrists and locum optometrists.

Ends

For more information, please contact Serena Box, PR and Media Manager, at the Association of Optometrists, [email protected] or telephone 020 7549 2040.

Notes to Editors

Association of Optometrists

The Association of Optometrists (AOP) is the leading representative membership organisation for optometrists in the UK. We support over 82% of practising optometrists, to fulfil their professional roles to protect the nation’s eye health. For more information, visit www.aop.org.uk