Constituencies by function
The following list shows each function covered, which include the President and Vice-President, Students, Lecturers and Hospital Optometrists as well as Employed and Self-Emplyed Optomeotmtrists. It also shows the representative(s) for that function and a short biography where available.
President - Don Grocott
Don has been AOP President from 2000 having been a Vice President since 1994. He is the founding chairman of the Eyecare Information Service and of EyecareUK; previously the chairman of ACLM and of EUROMCONTACT. He is a non executive director of several companies; consultant to a medical charity and to various university/industry collaborations. He is also a TA Honorary Colonel.
Chris Hunt
Biography not available
David Whitaker
David Whitaker graduated with a BSc in Optometry in 1983. He returned to the University of Bradford to study for a PhD, which was awarded in 1987. He spent seven years as a lecturer in Optometry at Aston University before returning to Bradford, first as Senior Lecturer, then as Reader and finally Professor of Vision Science. Throughout his academic career he has worked in Optometric practice at weekends, and this still continues, helping to keep his four kids in the manner to which they feel they should be accustomed. In 2005 he was honoured to be invited as Vice President of the Association of Optometrists.
Michael Charlton
Michael is a serving member of the Board of Directors who became an AOP councillor in 1992. He has chaired the Public Affairs Committee, Member Benefits Committee, served on the Publishers Committee and ECOO. He is a Fellow of the College of Optometrists and a member of the BCLA. He is the immediate past Chairman of Optometry Wales, an overarching lobby Committee representing all areas of optics in Wales to the Welsh Assembly Government.
Ed Bickerstaff
Ed is an Employed Optometrist working in the West Country for a small group of Optical Practices. He has been on Council since 2003 and on the Board of Directors since 2006. Previous to being on Council he was the student representative and then the Pre-Registration representative for the AOP.
Ted Cadman
Biography not available
Stephen Clark
Ruth Cuthbert
Ruth has been an AOP Councillor since 2004 as representative for employed optometrists. She works at in independent practice in the Ribble Valley and is chairman of the Lancashire Optical Society. Married with 2 children and 1 grandchild, she is interested in amateur dramatics and is an actress for the medical student examinations.
Gale Leslie
No Biography available
Victoria Pope
No Biography Available
Kishor Bardolia
Kishor has been a self employed Optometrist since 1981 when he started his own independent practice. He is a member of the Leicestershire and Rutland LOC and is currently its honorary treasurer. He is in his second stint as an AOP councillor serving on Members Benefit Committee, previously he was on Professional Service Committee.
Paul Bradford
Aiman Poptani
Dimple Shah
Kevin Thompson
Kevin has a variety of business interests and pastimes. His optical company has twenty eight practices mainly in the north east. He is also involved in post office, general retail, property development, commercial waste, leisure, tourism, radio, local authority work and strategic partnerships. Hobbies include golf, music production and collecting cars.
Helen Tilley
Helen is a part time self employed optometrist in Monmouth and current Chairman of Optometry Wales. She sits on the Fitness to practice panel of the GOC and has been an AOP councillor for 3 years. In her spare time she rows both indoor and out. She is married and has three daughters.
Trevor Warburton
Trevor is a former Chairman of the AOP and owns a practice in Stockport. He is Chairman of Stockport LOC and also works part-time for the AOP as clinical legal adviser. He is a keen mountain biker, as well as a skier and a scuba diver.
Bob Wilkes
Biography not available.
Nicholas Wingate
No biography available
Gillian Rudduck
Gillian is the newly appointed Chair of the Hospital Optometrists Committee. She is a consultant optometrist and head of department at Wirral University Teaching Hospital. She has a specialist interest in paediatric visual impairment and finds her love of amateur dramatics comes in very useful in all areas of optometry practice
Andrew Tompkin
No biography available
Richard Ward
No biography available
Hema Radhakrishnan
No biography available
Vicky O'Connor
Vicky is currently undertaking her pre-registration year at Nottingham University Hospital, having graduated from Cardiff University in July. As the AOP pre-registration representative, this is the first year that Vicky has served on the council. In her spare time, she is a keen sailor.
Aoife McCaughey
No biography available
