The General Optical Council (GOC) has today announced that it has appointed four new members to its Council – two registrants and two lay members.
Josie Forte and Roshni Samra will join the Council as registrant members and Clare Minchington and Mike Galvin will join as lay members. All new appointees will take up their posts on 1 April 2017.
Commenting on the new appointments, GOC Chair, Gareth Hadley said “I am delighted to welcome Clare, Mike, Josie and Roshni to Council. They bring with them a wealth of skills and experience of the optical professions, education and working at board level. They will be joining the Council at a crucial time, particularly as we increase our focus on education through our Education Strategic Review. I am confident that the experience our new members possess will allow them to make an invaluable contribution to this important project. I look forward to working closely with all new members to ensure that the Council’s work continues to protect and promote the public’s health and safety.”
Josie Forte is a qualified optometrist and has experience of working in hospital practice, independent practice and a brief spell practising in New Zealand. She is currently a Lead Assessor for the Welsh Optometric Postgraduate Education Centre (WOPEC), and is also a Specsavers Optical and Audiology Joint Venture Partner.
Roshni Samra has a wealth of experience as a refractive surgery optometrist. In 2014 she was awarded the College of Optometrists Professional Certificate in Glaucoma. Roshni is currently the Professional Clinic Manager for City Sight, City, University of London, where she is responsible for the coordination and running of optometry clinical services.
Clare Minchington is a chartered accountant and a non-executive director of BPP University and Policy Connect. She was previously an executive director of the professional accountancy body ACCA and Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board for Oxford Brookes University Business School. She currently works as a strategic consultant for professional bodies and universities.
Mike Galvin is a professional engineer and has over 15 years’ experience working at board level in technology research and innovation in telecommunications. He has held non-executive positions with the UK Council for Child Internet Safety and is currently Managing Director at BT plc for Future Broadband Networks and IT Security.
Council sets the GOC’s strategic direction and ensures that its statutory functions are delivered effectively and efficiently by holding the executive to account.
The appointments were confirmed by the Privy Council after the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) confirmed that the GOC’s recruitment process was appropriate.