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Next Chair of the GOsC announced

21 November 2019

Dr Bill Gunnyeon CBE, current Chair of the GOsC’s Policy Advisory Committee, has been appointed as the General Osteopathic Council’s next Chair of Council. He will take over from current Chair, Alison J White, on 1 April 2020.

Dr Bill Gunnyeon CBE

Outgoing Chair of Council, Alison J White, who will have served two terms as Chair of Council, announced Bill’s appointment to Council on 20 November 2019.

On Bill’s appointment, Alison said ‘I am delighted to announce the appointment of Bill Gunnyeon as my successor. Having worked closely with Bill on Council and the Policy Advisory Committee, I have first-hand experience of his passion and enthusiasm for the organisation. He brings a tremendous wealth of experience and knowledge to the position, which will be invaluable in leading Council to build upon our achievements during the past eight years’.

Bill has spent most of his career in the occupational health field. He’s held several senior and high-profile roles in the private and public sectors, involving professional and strategic leadership as well as commercial and business development responsibilities.

Between 2005-2014 he was Chief Medical Adviser, Director for Health and Wellbeing and Chief Scientist at the Department for Work and Pensions, where he led on the health and work agenda within government, including responsibility for delivering and implementing the government response to the Black Review of the health of working-age people; the development and implementation of the fit note; and the development of the government response to the Review of Sickness Absence.

A past-President of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, he is currently Chair of the Board of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health and a Lay Governor at Glasgow Caledonian University. He will continue to serve as a lay member of GOsC’s Council and Chair of the Policy Advisory Committee until he takes up the post of Chair of Council on 1 April 2020.

In relation to his appointment, Bill said 'I feel hugely privileged to have been appointed to this role and to follow on from the strong leadership Alison has provided during her tenure. I look forward to working closely with the osteopathic profession, with our many stakeholders, including patients, and with the great team of people at GOsC as we continue to develop our approach to ensuring the protection of patients and the public'.

Bill’s appointment was made by the Privy Council, using a process conducted by the GOsC in line with standards set by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. His term runs until 31 March 2024.