Board of Trustees
We are an independent charity governed by our own Board of Trustees.
The majority of current Trustees are experienced veterinary surgeons, and some are non-veterinary experts in their own fields. Amanda Boag was elected Chair of the RCVS Knowledge Board of Trustees in 2020.
Ms Amanda Boag MA VetMB DECVECC DACVECC DACVIM FRCVS (Chair)
Ms Mary Bawn Dip CIPR, MCIPR
Miss Liz Branscombe DipAVN(Surgical) RVN
Dr Abbie Calow BVetMed MRCVS
Mrs Helen Cartlidge MRes PgC BSc(Hons) RVN FHEA
Dr Melissa Donald BVMS MRCVS (College Officer)
Ms Lucie Goodwin BVetMed DipACVIM MRCVS
Mark Knight BA FCA
Lizzie Lockett (Secretary)
Dr Susan Paterson MA VetMB DVD DipECVD FRCVS
Mr Brian Pound FCIM (Treasurer)
Amanda Boag MA VetMB DECVECC DACVECC DACVIM FRCVS (Chair)
Amanda Boag has been Chair of the RCVS Knowledge Board of Trustees since 2020. She graduated from Cambridge University in 1998. She then undertook two consecutive small animal internships first at the Royal Veterinary College, London and then at the University of Pennsylvania. She returned to the RVC to do a residency and remained as a Lecturer in Emergency and Critical Care from 2003-2008.
Amanda is currently Vice Principal (Clinical Services) at The Royal Veterinary College. Amanda's previous roles include; Chief Medical Officer at IVC Evidensia, Clinical Director at Vets Now, a Veterinary Consultant for Pet Blood Bank and President of the European Society of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (EVECCS) from 2011-2014 and was Founding President of the European College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ECVECC) from 2014-2018.
Amanda is currently a board member of the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation representing ECVECC and was previously a Founding Trustee of the British College of Veterinary Specialists (BCVSp) from 2014-2018.
Declaration of Interest is available in the 'Related documents' box.
Mary Bawn
Mary Bawn (Dip CIPR, MCIPR) joins us as a Digital and Communications Trustee. Mary is a multi-award-winning PR, Communications and Marketing expert with over 20 years of experience working across charitable and commercial sectors. She has a particular specialism across veterinary and animal welfare sectors, having led the communications function at PDSA for over 18 years. In her current role, she is the co-founder of communications and marketing consultancy, The LaunchBox, which specialises in veterinary, charity and animal welfare work.
Declaration of Interest is available in the 'Related documents' box.
Liz Branscombe DipAVN(Surgical) RVN
Liz qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 1986, initially working in small animal and mixed practice until she joined a private referral practice in 1989, subsequently she worked at the Royal Veterinary College as a Senior Surgery Nurse between 1993 and 1997. Liz was employed at Davies Veterinary Specialists from its inception in 1998 until August 2020 undertaking a variety of clinical nursing roles and subsequently the position of Training Manager with responsibility for development of induction training programmes for all new employees and the planning and implementation of in-house and external training for team members.
Since October 2020 Liz has undertaken a role as an Independent End Point Assessor for the Veterinary Nursing Apprenticeship with VetSkill Ltd.
Liz is proud to have been an elected member of RCVS VN Council from 2006 to 2015 (Chairman 2009-2012), during which time significant milestones for the Veterinary Nursing profession were achieved culminating in Statutory Regulation.
Liz is the Board of Trustees representative on the Quality Improvement Advisory Board.
Declaration of Interest is available in the 'Related documents' box.
Dr Abbie Calow BVetMed MRCVS
Helen Cartlidge MRes PgC BSc(Hons) RVN FHEA
Helen qualified as an RVN in 2008 after completing her degree at Harper Adams University. She worked in mixed animal practice for a number of years before returning to Harper Adams in 2011 as a Research Assistant and then later a Lecturer. Since returning to Harper Adams Helen’s focus has been towards research and EBVM with her supporting both staff and students with final year research projects. In addition in 2017, Helen completed a Masters in Research in Veterinary Hydrotherapy for which she undertook two individual research projects.
Helen has a keen interest in EBVM and promoting this to her students and future members of our profession.
Declaration of Interest is available in the 'Related documents' box.
Melissa Donald BVMS MRCVS (College Officer)
Melissa is an experienced veterinary surgeon and former practice owner. Her experience also includes hill sheep and beef farming and farm assurance schemes.
Melissa enjoys a variety of leadership roles to help improve animal health and welfare and inspire the next generation. She is a Past President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and of the Scottish Branch of the British Veterinary Association
In her spare time Melissa enjoys keeping fit and running for her mental wellbeing and after her grandchildren!
Declaration of Interest is available in the 'Related documents' box.
Lucie Goodwin BVetMed DipACVIM MRCVS
Lucie graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2004 and spent the following two years working in a busy small animal hospital in Bristol. Having developed a love of internal medicine, she returned to the RVC in 2006 to undertake a residency in small animal medicine, and following completion returned to the West Country to work for the University of Bristol and Langford Veterinary Services as a teaching fellow and internal medicine clinician. Following this, she worked as an Internal Medicine Consultant for Axiom Veterinary Laboratories before joining the BSAVA as Head of Education in June 2018.
Declaration of Interest is available in the 'Related documents' box.
Mark Knight
Mark is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and brings a non-veterinary perspective to the Board of Trustees
from his experience gained in the accounting profession as an auditor. Before retirement in 2021, he spent some 36 years with top-five firm BDO, mostly in London and Hatfield, with separate 2-year spells at various times in Hamburg and Vancouver. Latterly he was based in the Technical Standards department with responsibility for quality management and coaching audit teams. There is a veterinary connection as one of his grown-up daughters trained and qualified as a BVetMed at the Royal Vet College and, after various internships and a residency, is now back there as a staff surgeon.
Declaration of Interest is available in the 'Related documents' box
Lizzie Lockett (Secretary)
Lizzie joined the RCVS in February 2005 as Head of Communications, bringing with her 13 years' experience working in marketing, public relations, communications and public affairs both in the UK and across Europe.
As Head of Communications, and later Director of Strategic Communications, Lizzie and her team were responsible for all of the College’s communications, including media, publications, events, web and digital, design and public affairs. Lizzie was also responsible for managing the RCVS side of the joint RCVS/British Veterinary Association project, Vet Futures.
In autumn 2014, Lizzie set up the Mind Matters Initiative (MMI), alongside its then Chair, Neil Smith. MMI aims to make a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of members of the veterinary team.
Lizzie took up the role of Acting CEO in September 2017 and was appointed CEO in November 2017.
Lizzie is an Accredited PR Practitioner with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and holds a degree in English Language and Literature from St John’s College, Oxford, a postgraduate qualification in journalism, and diplomas in the History of Art, also from Oxford.
Declaration of interest is available on the RCVS website
Dr Susan Paterson MA VetMB DVD DipECVD FRCVS
Sue Paterson qualified from Cambridge in 1984. After a time in mixed practice in Devon she took her Certificate then British and European Diplomas in Veterinary Dermatology and has been an RCVS and European Specialist for more than 20 years. She has recently been elected as a Fellow of the RCVS for meritorious contributions to clinical practice.
She is the Veterinary Director of Veterinary Dermatological Ltd and Virtual Vet Derms, a veterinary telemedicine company.
She has published seven text books as well as writing numerous peer reviewed articles and contributing chapters to both small animal and equine text books. She lectures extensively in Europe and America.
Sue is a Past President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association and also the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology.
Sue is currently President of RCVS.
Sue is a keep-fit fanatic and is a keen long-distance walker, runner and cyclist.
Brian Pound FCIM (Treasurer)
Brian Pound came from a farming family. He initially trained to be an accountant with ICI before moving into the poultry industry in 1970. His work in helping resolve the devastating Newcastle disease outbreak put him in touch with the pharmaceutical industry where he moved in 1975 to take over as Managing Director of Duphar Veterinary Limited (now Zoetis).
He was Chairman of ABPI veterinary sector (now NOAH) and worked alongside Des Thompson to help set up National Pet Week (now National Pet Month). He also worked alongside Andrew Higgins from the Animal Health Trust to establish the Annual Equestrian Awards ceremony. He assisted in setting up SPVS Snowscene where he was one of the initial speakers alongside Dixon Gunn in providing business training to the delegates. His career with Duphar (taken over by Solvay in 1981) included CEO of group companies in Wales, Warrington and the USA before he returned to Hampshire to set up CVS (UK) Ltd, in 1999. Brian retired in 2017.
As well as RCVS Knowledge Treasurer, he is on the Editorial Board of Veterinary Evidence.
Declaration of Interest is available in the 'Related documents' box.