General Optical Council

 Registrar and Chief Executive’s office

Registrar/Chief Executive
Dian Taylor
email: reg@optical.org
email: dtaylor@optical.org

Executive Assistant to Registrar and Chairman
Naomi Ford
email: nford@optical.org
Contact me for all contact with the Registrar and Chairman

 Education

Head of Education
Linda Kennaugh
email: lkennaugh@optical.org

PA to Head of Education
Hayley Robinson
email: hrobinson@optical.org 
Contact me for:

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

• Accreditation and quality assurance of education and training
• Visits
• CET

 Human Resources and Administration

Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development
Lesa Oakley
email: loakley@optical.org

PA to Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development
Mandy Bainger
email: mbainger@optical.org 

HR and IT Officer
Agnieszka Knapik
email: aknapik@optical.org

Contact us for:

• All HR issues
• Organisational development

Services Officer
Jacob Sanchez
email: jsanchez@optical.org
Contact me for:

• Queries regarding our premises
• Change of personal details
• General enquiries

• Hotel and travel bookings
• Office adminstration  

Hearings management

Hearings Manager
David Henley
email: dhenley@optical.org
Contact me for:

• All aspects of fitness to practise and registration appeal committee hearings
• Permission to use a ‘protected’ title when forming a limited company

   
Fitness to Practise investigation and criminal prosecutions

Director of Legal Services and Fitness to Practise
Ros Hayles
email: rhayles@optical.org

PA to Director of Legal Services and Fitness to Practise
Julia Fiske
email: jfiske@optical.org

Assistant Director of Legal and Fitness to Practise
Kisha Punchihewa
email: kpunchihewa@optical.org

Fitness to Practise Investigations Manager
Nirupar Uddin
email: nuddin@optical.org

Legal Assistant
Georgina Devoy
email: gdevoy@optical.org

Contact us for:

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

  Standards 

Deputy Registrar/ Director of Standards and Education
Jon Levett
email: jlevett@optical.org

Contact me for policy enquiries on standards issues such as:

• Codes of conduct
• Competencies
• Sale and supply of optical appliances
• Prescriptions
• Supply and administration of ophthalmic drugs

• Queries for Deputy Registrar/Director of Standards and Education 
• Queries regarding the administration of the following committees and their associated working groups: Audit, Standards

Assistant Director of Standards
Grahame Tinsley
email: gtinsley@optical.org

• Codes of conduct
• Sale and supply of optical appliances
• Supply and administration of ophthalmic drugs
• Revalidation scheme for optometrists and dispensing opticians

Project and Council Officer
Maria Claridge
email: mclaridge@optical.org

Contact me for all enquiries concerning the implementation of the White Paper, Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century