General Optical Council

Staff contacts

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

 
Secretariat
Finance
Education
Human Resources
Facilities
IT
Fitness to Practise investigation and criminal prosecutions
Standards
Hearings Management
Communications & Information
Registration 


 

Secretariat

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

Executive Assistant to Registrar and Chair
Naomi Ford
email: nford@optical.org
Contact me for:

  •  All contact with the Registrar and Chair

Finance

Financial Controller
Ami Samra
email: asamra@optical.org

Accounts Assistant 
Sofia Khan
email: skhan@optical.org 

Contact us for:

  • All accounts queries
  • Member/ staff expenses  

Education

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

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

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

Accreditation Policy and Project Officer
Lisa Sparkes
email: lsparkes@optical.org
Contact me for:

  • Accreditation and quality assurance of education and training
  • Visits
  • CET
  • Freedom of Information and data protection requests

Education Policy and Project Officer
Paul Gavin
email: pgavin@optical.org
Contact me for:

  • 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)
  • CET

Human Resources & Organisational Development

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

PA to Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development
Nikki King
email: nking@optical.org
Contact me for:

  • Queries for Lesa Oakley, Director of HR and OD 

HR Officer
Mandy Bainger
email: mbainger@optical.org

Contact us for:

  • All HR issues
  • Organisational development

Facilities

Facilities Manager
Jacob Sanchez
email: jsanchez@optical.org
Contact me for:

  • Queries regarding our premises
  • General enquiries
Facilities Assistant
Laura Cressey
email: lcressey@optical.org
Contact me for:

  • Hotel and travel bookings
  • Office adminstration   
  • Administration support for David Henley

Facilities Officer
Marta Pocztowska
email: mpocztowska@optical.org


 IT  

IT Manager
Agnieszka Knapik
email: aknapik@optical.org
 

IT Officer
Jassen Payen
email: jpayen@optical.org

Contact us for:

  •   Any IT queries

    
Fitness to Practise investigation and criminal prosecutions

Acting - Director of Legal Services and Fitness to Practise
Chris Alder
email: calder@optical.org 

PA to Director and Assistant Director of Legal Services and Fitness to Practise
Philippa Saxby
email: psaxby@optical.org

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

Acting Senior Lawyer
Jane Kinane
email: jkinane@optical.org

Investigations and Fitness to Practise External Stakeholder Liaison Manager
Sarita Khaira
email: skhaira@optical.org

Investigations Caseworker
Angela Cooper
email: acooper@optical.org

Legal Services Administration Officer
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
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

Assistant Director of Standards
Grahame Tinsley
email: gtinsley@optical.org
Contact me for policy and procedural enquiries on standards issues such as:

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

PA to the Deputy Registrar and Director of Standards
Kelly Parker
Email: kparker@optical.org
Contact me for:

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

Council Manager
Maria Claridge
email: mclaridge@optical.org

Council Officer 
Joan Burrow
email: jburrow@optical.org

Contact us for:

  •  All enquiries regarding the Council

 Hearings management

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

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

Communications and Information 

Director of Communications and Information
 
Kate Fielding (currently on maternity leave)
email: kfielding@optical.org
 
PA to the Director of Communications and Information
Kelly Parker
email: kparker@optical.org 
Contact me for:
  • Queries for Director of Communications and Information (departments of Communications and Registration)
  • Queries regarding the administration of the following committees and their associated working groups: Companies, Registration 

Acting Head of Communications
Clare March
email: cmarch@optical.org

Communications Officer
Simon Grier
email: sgrier@optical.org

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

Registration

Assistant Director of Registration
Philip Hallam
email:phallam@optical.org

Registration Operations Manager
Laura Hytti
email: lhytti@optical.org

Registration Officers
Enda Heslin
email: eheslin@optical.org

Ian Johnson
email: ijohnson@optical.org

Katri Kajava
email: kkajava@optical.org

Registration Assistant
Laura Haapio-Kirk
email: lhaapio-kirk@optical.org

Alexandra Urdea
email: aurdea@optical.org

Contact us for:

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

Registration Policy and Projects Manager
Matthew Tait
email: mtait@optical.org
Contact me for enquiries on registration policy issues such as:

  • The content of or access to the GOC register
  • Registration fees
  • Online retention