L-R Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS and Dr Tshidi Gardiner MRCVS
New President And Treasurer Elected By RCVS Council Members
1 year ago 
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Members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Council have elected Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS and Dr Tshidi Gardiner MRCVS to be the new RCVS President and Treasurer respectively, at their March 2023 meeting.
Sue will take up the presidency of the RCVS for 2023/24 at the RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday 7 July 2023, subject to confirmation by Council members at the AGM, replacing Dr Melissa Donald MRCVS, who has been elected Senior Vice-President.
A Specialist in veterinary dermatology and former president of both the British Veterinary Small Animal Association (BSAVA) and the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology, Sue has been an elected member of RCVS Council since 2014. She is currently Chair of the Advancement of the Professions Committee as well as the Working Party set up to look at how to increase access to the veterinary professions for disabled people. Furthermore, she is currently President of the World Association of Veterinary Dermatology and a proud Trustee of Battersea Cats and Dogs Home.
She was also, until last year, Chair of the Environment & Sustainability Working Group set up to look at how the RCVS could develop policies in this area and remains as RCVS Council’s lead member for sustainability and its representative on the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change.
Of her election Sue said: “I first put my name forward for RCVS Council nine years ago with the thought that having enjoyed a long career in clinical practice, that it was time to put something back into the profession. Over that time, I have become more and more immersed in College work, which initially led to a three-year tenure as the RCVS Education Committee and culminated last year in my election by Council as JVP.
“The last twelve months seem to have gone in a flash and as July approaches and I prepare to take the reins from Melissa, I have mixed emotions of pride, excitement and trepidation as I consider the responsibilities and opportunities that the role holds.
“As someone who failed to make the grades for vet school the first time around and was assured by numerous members of teaching staff that I should accept the fact that veterinary medicine was an unachievable dream, I would love to go back to that day of desperate disappointment on A-level results day more than 30 years ago and whisk them all into the future to 7 July this year.
“I am greatly looking forward to serving the veterinary professions as President and continuing to drive forward the great work we are already undertaking.”
Tshidi will also take up the post of Treasurer, which is responsible for overseeing the financial affairs of the RCVS including the auditing process, from the RCVS Annual General Meeting, subject to confirmation. If confirmed she will replace Dr Niall Connell FRCVS, who is stepping down after serving three consecutive terms as an RCVS Council member.
A graduate of the University of Pretoria in South Africa, Tshidi works in clinical practice in Abbotskerswell, Devon, having previously owned and run her own practice in Exeter. In addition to clinical work, she also coaches and mentors on topics including wellbeing, stress management, mental ill-health, and equity, diversity & inclusion (EDI). An elected member of RCVS Council since 2021, Tshidi currently chairs the RCVS Diversity & Inclusion Group (DIG), is Vice-Chair of Advancement of Professions Committee and is the lead on the College’s global work. She also serves on the College’s Audit & Risk and Standards Committees and the Primary Qualifications Subcommittee (PQSC).
Speaking of her appointment, Tshidi said: “I am very honoured to have been appointed as RCVS Treasurer and genuinely look forward to continuing Niall Connell's stewardship of the College’s finances with the support and accomplished brilliance of the RCVS Finance Team. I feel proud to be part of an RCVS Officer Team that will continue to oversee the management of college business, governance and management of resources. It is a huge responsibility and I do not take it lightly.”
While the College’s election of its Junior Vice-President (JVP) for 2023/24 would ordinarily take place in March, because no candidates had put themselves forward for the role, the election of a new JVP has been delayed until the June 2023 meeting of RCVS Council.
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