General Optical Council

Staff contacts

In this section we give you details of who to contact if you have any queries.  

Chief Executive
 
CEO's Office
Corporate Services 

Regulatory Services


Chief Executive
 

Chief Executive and Registrar
Samantha Peters

Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer and Chair
Kelly Parker
email: kparker@optical.org
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 8)


Contact me for:

  •  All contact with the Chief Executive Officer/Registrar and Chair
     

CEO's Office

Head of CEO's Office
Grahame Tinsley

 

Communications

email: communications@optical.org 
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 4)

Communications Manager
Clare March

Communications Officer
Simon Grier

Contact us for:

  • Media enquiries
  • Use of the GOC logo
  • Contributions to or queries about Bulletin
  • Copies of GOC publications (including accessible formats)
  • Joining our press release or other mailing lists
  • Updates to information directories and databases
  • Website queries 

Governance

email: governance@optical.org
tel: 020 7307 3451 

Council Manager
Maria Claridge

Council Officer 
Joan Burrow

Contact us for:

  • All enquiries regarding the Council and Committees
  • Governance compliance
  • Council and committee appointments 

Policy

email: policy@optical.org
tel: 020 7307 3923

Policy Manager
Matthew Tait

Research Analyst
Marta Pocztowska

Contact us for:

  • Strategic and business Planning
  • Performance reporting
  • Policy advice and briefing
  • Horizon scanning and cross-border regulation
  • Develoved administrations support
     

Corporate Services 

Director of Resources
Jeff Cant

PA to Jeff Cant
Nikki King
email: nking@optical.org
t
el: 020 7307 9471

Contact me for:

  •  All contact with Jeff Cant
     

Facilities

 

email: facilities@optical.org
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 0)

 

Facilities Manager
Jacob Sanchez 

Office Assistant
Laura Cressey

Contact us for:

  • Queries regarding our premises
  • General enquiries
  • Hotel and travel bookings
  • Office adminstration
  • Administration support for David Henley 
     

Finance

email: finance@optical.org
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 5)

Head of Finance
Irina Miksa

Accounts Assistants 
Sofia Khan
Heidi Wollams

Contact us for:

  • All accounts queries
  • Member/ staff expenses 

 

Hearings management

Hearings Manager
David Henley
email: 
hearings@optical.org
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 6)

Contact me for:

  • All aspects of fitness to practise and registration appeal committee hearings

Human Resources

HR Manager
Mandy Bainger
email: hr@optical.org
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 7)

Contact me for:

  • All HR issues
  • Organisational development
     

IT

email: it@optical.org

Head of IT
Agnieszka Knapik

IT Officer
Jassen Payen

Contact us for:

  • All IT queries



 

Regulatory Services

Director of Regulation
Mandie Lavin

PA to Director of Regulation
Helen Volichenko
email: hvolichenko@optical.org
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 2)

Contact me for:

  •  All contact with Mandie Lavin 

     

Education

Head of Education & Standards
Linda Ford
 

PA to Head of Education & Standards
Chetna Malvi
email: cmalvi@optical.org 

Contact me for:

  • Queries for Linda Ford, Head of Education & Standards
  • General education queries
  • Queries about practising in the UK with overseas qualifications

Accreditation Policy and Project Officer
Lisa Sparkes

Education Policy and Project Officer
Paul Gavin

Contact us for:

 

  • Accreditation and quality assurance of education and training
  • Visits
  • CET
  • Freedom of Information and data protection requests
  • Schemes for registration, examinations and assessments
  • Accreditation of education and training outside the UK
  • Specialist qualifications and training (Independent Prescribing, Supplementary Prescribing, Additional Supply and Contact Lens)

email: education@optical.org
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 3)

 

Fitness to Practise

email:  ftp @optical.org
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 2)

Head of FTP
Kisha Punchihewa

Senior Lawyer
Kiran Gill

Senior Lawyer
Ayesha Benson

Investigations Manager
Sarita Khaira

Investigations Caseworkers 
Angela Cooper
Georgina Devoy
Enda Heslin

Contact us for:

  • Concerns about registrants’ fitness to practise
  • Fitness to practise investigations
  • Potential criminal actions

     

Registration

email: registration@optical.org
tel: 020 7580 3898 (option 1)

Head of Registration
Philip Hallam

Registration Operations Manager
Laura Hytti

Registration Officers
Ian Johnson
Katri Kajava
Terence Yates

Registration Assistants
Mark Stanton
Leeann Lee

Contact us for:

  • Registration queries
  • Registration payments
  • CET queries
  • Change of name/address