AGV COUNCIL 2009/2010 

President and BVA Representative:  Adrienne Conroy (FSA)

Adrienne has obtained a broad range of experience from across the Profession having worked in private practice, for a large charity organisation, Industry and a number of Government organisations including Local Authorities, MAFF (now Defra), the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA). At the FSA she has been involved in key areas covering public health controls relating to meat. These have included meat hygiene and most recently, TSEs. Adrienne also takes an active role in various Professional Organisations such as AGV, VPHA, BVA and RCVS.

Senior Vice-President:  Jane Clark (Animal Health)

Jane qualified from Edinburgh in 1994 and worked in mixed practice for 3 years before travelling and working in Hong Kong and New Zealand. Back in the UK, she worked as a locum and for MAFF during FMD 2001 before joining the SVS (now Animal Health) in 2003 where she is now a Veterinary Services Manager based in Worcester.

Junior Vice-President and EASVO Representative:  Catherine McVicar (VLA retd.)

After qualifying from Glasgow University in 1974, Catherine worked for eight years in mixed practice and thereafter as a technical manager in the pharmaceutical industry and in the VI Service in Edinburgh. During this time she undertook an MSc in Laboratory Animal Science. She then joined MAFF as a Veterinary Officer in Hamilton subsequently holding a number of posts giving advice on policy or engaged in its delivery at various levels within the MHS and the VLA before retiring in March 2008. She currently works part time in the poultry division of a private veterinary practice which is a clinical associate of the Nottingham University School of Veterinary Science.

After qualifying from Edinburgh University in 1976, Stewart worked in mixed practice in Aberdeenshire and for the VI Service in Dumfries before returning to his home town of Inverness where he was a partner in a practice there for over 20 years. He took a sabbatical period in 1995 to work in Australia. He was a TVI during FMD in 2001 and on leaving practice in 2004 joined Animal Health as a Veterinary Officer in Inverness covering all aspects of divisional work but with a special interest in Animal Welfare.

Treasurer: Fred Landeg (FFG retd.)

Fred qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 1971. After a spell in private veterinary practice, he joined public service in 1975 as a Veterinary Officer with the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. In his career he has held a number of departmental posts concerned with advice to Ministers, development of policy or its delivery in the areas of public health, animal health and animal welfare. In 2004, he was appointed UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer and Director in Food and Farming Group of Defra. He became acting Director General and Chief Veterinary Officer in November 2007 and retired from public service at the end of April 2008. He continues to carry out some private consultancy work

AWF Representative:  Rebeca Garcia (FFG)

Rebeca has worked in the UK since 2001 when she joined Eville and Jones to work as an OV. She then moved to the MHS as an Employed OV and became a York based Veterinary Advisor in 2005. She moved away from the MHS at the end of May 2008 to become a London based DEFRA Veterinary advisor, working in animal welfare, zoonoses and surveillance. She has recently completed a PhD on the topic “The development and application of EU food hygiene legislation in slaughterhouses”.

Levon Stephan (Animal Health)

Lévon was born in London, but has an Armenian background. He qualified in 1991 from the Dick Vet with a Veterinary degree and an Honours degree in Neuroscience. After spending 10 years in a purely farm and specialist poultry practice, he then joined the Meat Hygiene Service as a Principal Official Veterinary Surgeon, later becoming a Regional Veterinary Advisor in the South of England. He now works as a Veterinary Officer for Animal Health based in Exeter where he is involved in all aspects of Divisional work, but has a special interest in poultry, zoonoses and animal welfare

Katherine Edgar  (Animal Health)

Since qualifying from Liverpool in 1997, Katherine worked in a busy large animal practice in Lancashire before joining Defra as a Veterinary Officer post-FMD in 2002. She also gained additional experience by working with equine notifiable diseases in Dubai, Mexico and the USA. Katherine currently works as a Veterinary Team Leader at the Gloucester Animal Health Office where she has responsibilities for contingency planning and TB. She is a also a member of the National Epidemiology Management Team and contributes nationally on a range of equine issues

Alex Tomlinson (FERA)

Alex graduated from Cambridge in 1992 and worked in general practice for six years, followed by positions as a DEFRA VO and a university lecturer. After completing the MSc in Wild Animal Health at IOZ/RVC in 2004, she spent a stimulating year at the Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre in Cornwall, developing skills in wildlife pathology. Alex now provides veterinary expertise for the Wildlife Ecology and Management Group with the Central Science Laboratory (soon to be part of the new Food and Environment Research Agency) and is based at Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire. She is also working towards a PhD on the correlates of infection with Mycobacterium bovis in Eurasian badgers (Meles meles).

Kate Sharpe (Animal Health)

Kate graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 1981. She spent 8 years in mixed practice before joining the State Veterinary Service as a Veterinary Officer in 1998 also working as Field Veterinary Adviser and then Divisional Veterinary Manager. She completed an MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology in 2000 and led the Field Epidemiology Team during the 11 notifiable disease outbreaks in the UK until 2008.
She has taken an active role in various professional and specialist organisations such as BVA, BVPA and SVEPM.

Linda Smith (Animal Health)

Linda qualified from Dublin in 1984, and spent some time as a lecturer and research student in UCD. Following a short spell in mixed and small animal practice, she joined DANI (now DARD NI) and subsequently MAFF (now Animal Health). She has worked in a wide variety of locations across England, including three years in Page Street as a Veterinary Advisor, and four years as a Divisional Veterinary Manager. She is currently employed on secondment in the Veterinary Science Team in Defra. She is also editor of the Government Veterinary Journal.

Davina Gray (Animal Health)

Davina graduated from the Dick Vet in 1983 and worked in mixed practice in Yorkshire and Perthshire. She then entered small animal practice in Cheshire returning to Yorkshire in 1992. She worked as a TVI for MAFF for 15mths during the 2001 FMD outbreak before becoming a VO for DEFRA, now Animal Health, in 2003 based in Leeds. Her main work area is Animal Welfare.

Trish Logie (Veterinary Medicines Directorate)

Trish qualified from Glasgow in 1993 and spent many years in general veterinary practice ranging from specialist equine, rural farm practice and finishing her time in a large small animal practice as responsible for all surgery.  She then worked in industry for a period with special interest in animal welfare. Trish has been at the VMD since 2005 and has filled a number of roles including that of Veterinary Assessor for pharmaceutical and feed additive veterinary medicinal products, and Head of the General Assessment Team. She recently undertook an internal loan to core Defra acting as Veterinary Advisor responsible for the implementation of the NCP for Salmonella in Turkeys and commencing a review of Defra's antimicrobial resistance policy. Most recently Trish has moved to become Head of Communications and Quality Management for the VMD.

PAST PRESIDENTS

1979/80   T J Blackburn

1980/81   B M Williams

1981/82   D J Lucas

1982/83   F H Whaley

1983/84   A Dudgeon

1984/85   R D Locke

1985/86   J M Bach

1986/87   M E T Watts

1987/88   M H Lamont

1988/89   R A Bell

1989/90   M Kelsey

1990/91   R D Drummond

1991/92   F A Eames

1992/93   J A Keele

1993/94   J M Williams

1994/95   P A Manser

1995/96   M J Prince

1996/97   R A Paul

1997/98   T M Phillips

1998/99   C M McVicar

1999/00   N M James

2000/01, 01/02, 02/03   J A MacKenzie

2003/04   A B MacPhee

2004/05   J M W Jones

2005/06   Sarah Jackson

2006/07   Sophia Rizvi

2007/08   Neil Smith

2008/09   Jane Clark