Candidates announced for 2022 RCVS Council and VN Council elections

The RCVS has today (7 February 2022) announced the candidates in the 2022 elections for RCVS Council and Veterinary Nurses Council and we are calling members of the professions to submit their questions to candidates ahead of the start of the voting period.

RCVS Council is our governing body, responsible for deciding on major issues relating to the regulation of the veterinary professions including strategy, professional standards, education, registration, and projects to help advance the professions.

There are 13 candidates standing in this year’s election for RCVS Council, the voting period for which will open on the week commencing Monday 14 March and close at 5pm on Friday 22 April 2022. The candidates are:

• Dr Jason Aldiss MRCVS
• Professor David Barrett FRCVS
• Dr Mark Bowen FRCVS
• Dr Abbie Calow MRCVS
• Olivia Cook MRCVS
• Edward Davies MRCVS
• Thomas Gliddon MRCVS
• Dr Ian McKelvie MRCVS
• Dr Susan Paterson FRCVS
• Dr Gonzalo Sanchez-Cabezudo Perez MRCVS
• Radu Sirbu MRCVS
• Dr Huw Stacey MRCVS
• Dr Samantha Webster MRCVS

The full biographies and manifesto statements for each candidate are available to read on our dedicated 2022 RCVS Council election page. The three candidates who receive the most votes will take up their four-year terms on RCVS Council at our Annual General Meeting on Friday 8 July 2022.

The VN Council election will be taking place over the same timeframe. VN Council has the overall responsibility for all matters concerning veterinary nurse training, post-qualification awards and the registration of qualified veterinary nurses, and the eight candidates who are standing in this year’s election are:

• Samantha Jayne Anderson RVN
• Teri-Ann Baldwin RVN
• Jessica Louise Beckett RVN
• Kirsten Cavill RVN
• Sophie Louise Connolly RVN
• Jane Davidson RVN
• Sarah Amanda Scholes RVN
• Holly Witchell RVN

Update as at 27 February 2022: there are now eight candidates standing for VN Council in the 2022 election as one candidate has decided to withdraw her candidacy for personal reasons. 

The two candidates with the most votes will join VN Council for their three-year terms at the College’s AGM in July. Their individual profiles are available to view on our dedicated VN Council 2022 election webpage. 

As with the 2021 elections, voting this year will take place completely online with Civica Election Services, which runs the elections on behalf of the RCVS, sending emails containing links to a unique voting website to each veterinary surgeon and veterinary nurse eligible to vote in their respective elections.

Ahead of the start of both elections in mid-March, the RCVS is again encouraging veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to submit questions to the candidates in their relevant election. Candidates will then be asked to record a short video of themselves answering two of the submitted questions of their choice which will be published when the election starts.

Only one question should be submitted per person. Veterinary surgeons can submit a question to the RCVS Council candidates by emailing [email protected] or via the RCVS Twitter account (@theRCVS) using the hashtag #vetvote22.

Veterinary nurses can submit a question to the VN Council candidates by emailing [email protected] or via Twitter using the hashtag #vnvote22.

Members of the profession have until Monday 21 February 2022 to submit their question.