The College has elected five new Vice Presidents, who will take office in December 2025.
The RCOG is pleased to announce the newly elected Vice Presidents, listed alphabetically by surname below:
- Sherif Abdel-Fattah
- Jenny Barber
- Sujeewa Fernando
- Andrew Leather
- Melanie Tipples
Elected by a ballot of eligible Council members at a meeting on Friday 12 September 2025, the Vice Presidents-Elect will take office in December of this year, alongside President-Elect Dr Alison Wright.
Read the RCOG’s news story on the 2025 Vice President election results.
The role of the Vice Presidents
The Council elects five Vice Presidents (Officers), who will support the President-Elect in ensuring that the College’s long-term priorities and goals are firmly aligned with its core mission: to advance the O&G specialty and champion women’s health.
The Vice Presidents are senior Officers of the RCOG Council and occupy an honorary role within the College’s leadership. They are ambassadors for the global community of obstetricians and gynaecologists and professional leaders within the specialty. Working alongside the President, the Vice Presidents contribute their personal and professional expertise to help maintain the College’s standards of clinical excellence.
Over a three-year term, commencing on Friday 12 December, the newly elected Vice Presidents will support the College to achieve its ambitious five-year strategy, work with beneficiaries in the UK and globally, and deliver its strategic goals for 2025-30.
Each Vice President provides clinical leadership for their own individual portfolio, which is discussed and agreed with Council and the President-Elect. Portfolios vary depending on the College’s current priorities, but have previously included Global Health, Education, Clinical Quality, Academia and Strategy, and Membership and Workforce. Given this variety of activity, all prospective candidates were asked to demonstrate their overall suitability for the general Vice President role, rather than applying for any particular portfolio.
Election process
Candidates for the role of Vice President were required to obtain nominations from three RCOG Fellows or Members in good standing, as well as submitting a portfolio of documents evidencing their suitability for the role (as detailed in the nomination form and election guidance). Further details are available in the RCOG regulations.
Nominations for the 2025 Vice President election closed at Monday 4 August at 5pm UK time. Online candidate profiles were then launched in August, for review by voting Council members and the wider RCOG membership. Candidates were elected on Friday 12 September by a ballot of Council Fellows and Members.
Who was eligible to stand for Vice President?
In line with College regulations, candidates for the role of Vice President had to meet the following criteria to be eligible to stand for election:
- To be a Fellow or Member of the College in active practice* in the UK/Republic of Ireland throughout the entire election period
- To be up to date with their membership subscription
- To have been nominated by three Fellows or Members (all of whom must also be up to date with their membership subscription)
*For an explanation of the term ‘active practice’, please see the FAQs below.
Individual Vice Presidents may be appointed as ex officio members of the Board of Trustees. All Vice President candidates were therefore also required to meet the stated criteria for Trustees, which are outlined in the declaration of interests and good standing in the candidate pack.
Who voted in the election?
The Vice Presidents are elected by voting members of the College’s Council.
Only Council members who are Fellows and Members of the RCOG are eligible to vote.
In line with College regulations, the 2025 ballot will take place at a meeting of Council in September and those elected will take office in December.
Frequently asked questions
The Vice Presidents are elected by voting members of the College’s Council.
Council will elect the five new Officers by ballot at their September meeting, using the Single Transferable Voting system (see below for an explanation of STV). Council members who are entitled to vote but unable to attend in person will be given the option to cast their ballot remotely.
College regulations state that a person will only be eligible to be elected as Vice President if she or he is in active practice throughout the election period. Regulation 1.1 defines “active practice”, in respect of a Fellow or Member, by the following criteria:
- Has a valid licence to practise as a medical practitioner from the UK General Medical Council or the Medical Council of Ireland (or any statutory successor to such bodies); and
- Is engaged as a medical practitioner in the UK or the Republic of Ireland in the practice of obstetrics and/or gynaecology for which a licence to practice is required in terms of (i) above; and
- Is not in arrears with her or his subscription to the College.
Please click this link for an explanation of Single Transferable Voting.
The newly elected Vice Presidents will assume office at a meeting of Council held on Friday 12 December 2025.
The Vice Presidents will hold office for a term of three years (as defined in regulation 10.24), at the end of which they shall retire.