As you begin your third role in the RCVS leadership team, how do you hope to use your experience to help shape the future of the veterinary professions – and what opportunities does this create for Bristol Veterinary School?
Tim: This is a pivotal time for the veterinary professions. The Competition and Markets Authority investigation into veterinary services in household pets is nearing its conclusion and the reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act is now gathering momentum. Together the changes that will follow for the professions will be significant and fundamentally change the veterinary world in which our recent and current students work. As Head of School of one of the largest UK Veterinary Schools, responsible for the education and training of both veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses, I am constantly ensuring we are ahead of the game in terms of trying to prepare our students for that new world of veterinary work. Preparing our students so that they can thrive, lead, see opportunity and innovate more rapidly than ever before is fundamental to how we can hope to shape the future of the professions.
What are you most looking forward to during your time as Junior Vice-President, and are there any particular issues or opportunities you hope to champion?
David: As Tim has already described we find ourselves in both challenging and exciting times for both the veterinary professions and others that care for animal health and welfare. New legislation in the form of a new Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA) to replace the 1966 Act is something the professions have been working towards for at least the last 20-years. If we can achieve that during the 3-years of my presidential term it will be a very significant achievement leading to unparallelled change not seen in the working life of any in the professions today. Anything else I may wish to champion is likely to be dwarfed by a new VSA, since that could fundamentally change the role of vets and vet nurses and the way they and others work for decades to come. Having said that, I’m most looking forward to leading the RCVS through this potentially turbulent period and working with and supporting so many great people who are working ultimately for the benefit of animals, animal owners and society as a whole.
What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead, both at Bristol Veterinary School and in your role with the RCVS?
Tim: The Presidential year (which I have just completed) is without doubt the most work intense year I have experienced. The calls on your time, sometimes at very short notice, require significant amounts of travel and preparation time. It is only when you hand over the chain of office to the incoming President that you realise some gaps are possible in the diary. We have a lot to do at Bristol Veterinary School, including ambitious international student growth plans, and I am most looking forward to being able to apply my full attention to ensuring we hit our goals.
What was your reaction when you found out you’d been elected to the role, and what does this mean to you?
David: Throughout my career as a veterinary surgeon, I have always tried to be the best clinician, educator and role model I can be as we strive to improve animal health, welfare and veterinary public health, food security and sustainability. I’ve worked in veterinary practice, as a bovine veterinary specialist and in two universities as a researcher and educator, most recently at Bristol Veterinary School since 2011, and as the School Education Director from 2020-2026. However, throughout the whole of my career I’ve also sought to serve and support the veterinary professions and in doing so have held several influential leadership roles in Scotland, the wider UK and Europe. Being Junior Vice-President is the latest of these roles for which I’m very proud. I was delighted to be elected to serve on RCVS Council by the veterinary profession as a whole in 2024, and both surprised and honoured to then be elected by the Council to become JV-P so quickly in 2026. To be honest I was quite emotional when the result was announced, it’s the pinnacle of my service to the veterinary professions to date, and means a huge amount to me.
As Bristol alumni yourselves, what piece of advice would you give to the new students joining us this September?
Tim: For incoming students, and as a alumnus who spent 8-years in Bristol as an undergraduate (Zoology before Veterinary Science), my advice is to firstly make sure you are on top of all logistics and organisational requirements. The programmes are very time heavy, and it quickly becomes very difficult to catch up if you get behind. But secondly and most importantly in my mind is this - there is now nothing to stop you realising your dream of joining the veterinary professions, as long as you take your studies seriously, but it is also important to enjoy your life at university. Learning to strike the correct work-life balance now will stand you in good stead post-graduation, leading to a more fulfilled, rewarding and sustained veterinary career. The veterinary professions are wonderful to be part of and the longer you can stay in your chosen area of work, the better it will be for you and those clients you serve.
David: Similar to Tim and as another alumni who holds two degrees from the University of Bristol, I’d say make the most of every opportunity the city and university present you with. Work hard and play hard, becoming a veterinary nurse or veterinary surgeon, is not easy, but it is definitely worth all the stress and hard work. You will join the most amazing people in the most wonderful professions that can open doors for you all around the world. Set your sights high, there is nothing you cannot achieve and remember the staff of the veterinary school, the wider university and all those you work with on placements are dedicated to helping you achieve those goals. Take time to look after yourself, support those around you and accept their help and support in return, the people you meet at university will become lifelong colleagues, friends and in many cases far more than that and will stay with you for the rest of your life.
What does it say about Bristol Veterinary School that two of its academics are taking on senior leadership roles within the RCVS?
Tim: I think this says quite a lot about Bristol Veterinary School - we are confident in our school, our colleagues and the teamwork ethos we have developed over the last few years. The way that others stepped up during my year of, what some might say, ‘self-indulgence’ was amazing, truly humbling and something for which I will be forever grateful. But it also clearly puts Bristol Veterinary School on the map as a school that is not just about our own students and academic endeavour - we are much more than that. We are outward looking, willing to give our time for the greater good and we care immensely about the professions our graduates join.
David: Again, I can only agree with Tim, the fact that he and I are able to do this says a huge number of positive things about our school and those that work within it; already colleagues are helping and supporting me as I try to juggle my multiple roles. However, it also speaks to how we as individuals and Bristol Veterinary School are viewed across the veterinary professions. Despite the challenges universities face, we are leading from the front and striving to be the best and to make our professions stronger, for the benefit of colleagues and the animals, people and businesses they care for.