Chief operating officer appointed new RIBA chief executive

As reported by the RCGP, chief operating officer Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick MBE will be leaving in January 2023 to take up the role of chief executive officer at the Royal Institute of British Architects

Dr Vaughan-Dick has had extensive leadership experience in central and local government, and in the public and voluntary sectors. She joined the College as executive director, Planning and Resources in 2014 and has been the College’s COO, the equivalent of chief executive officer, since 2017.

She reports to the chair of trustees and chair of council and is responsible for 300 staff supporting GP teams to raise standards of patient care. During her time at the College, she has overseen significant transformational change whilst ensuring stability for the organisation during the pandemic years.

With college chair Professor Martin Marshall, she has led work to promote equality, diversity and inclusion within the College and general practice, and developed a strong focus on employee engagement.

She has also raised the profile of the RCGP’s international work, including speaking at World Health Organization and United Nations conferences.

She was awarded an MBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday Honours 2022 for her services to general practice and to ethnic minority communities.

The college’s chair of trustees Professor Mike Holmes has convened a panel of college officers and trustees to address interim arrangements and begin the process for appointing Dr Vaughan-Dick’s successor.

Professor Holmes said: “Valerie’s calm, collaborative and compassionate leadership has steered the College through significant transformational change, while delivering ‘business as usual’ to our GP members during the turbulence of the pandemic years. We will be very sorry to see her go but wish her the very best in her new role.”

Dr Vaughan-Dick said: “Being chief operating officer of the RCGP has been a highlight of my career. It has been a privilege to work with such a dedicated team of GPs and staff and I am proud of all we have achieved in supporting the College’s 54,000 members and the patients they care for.”