Chris Tufnell elected Vice-President

Chris Tufnell, the current Chair of the Education Committee, has been elected as the next Vice-President of the College and will take up his position in July.

Chris (pictured right), an equine practitioner from Newbury in Berkshire, was elected at the meeting of RCVS Council on 5 March and will replace Dr Bradley Viner who was elected as President for 2015/16.

As Vice-President Chris, the sole principal of Coach House Veterinary Surgeons in East Woodhay, hopes that his experience and outlook as a practitioner ‘on the ground’ will shape his term of office. He says: “Just as many others before me, it is the experience of the day-job which drives me to contribute to the work of the RCVS.”

While recognising the importance of lay involvement in the College’s regulatory functions, Chris is passionate about veterinary self-regulation and feels that we are stronger, more relevant and more in touch because of it.

He adds: “Although the 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act can look very outdated today, I do believe that its underlying premise has led to better animal welfare in this country. As a profession we cannot do everything, but as the ultimate guardians of animal welfare, I believe that we do a pretty good job.”

Both Chris and Bradley will take up their positions, subject to formal appointment, at RCVS Day – our Annual General Meeting and Awards Day – on Friday, 10 July.