Council Members

Jonathan has had an extensive career in health and social care working in senior local and national roles. He has been Chair of the General Chiropractic Council since January 2024.

He works in East London and across England supporting health and care systems as they move towards more integrated ways of working.

An Associate with the Local Government Association, he previously represented the LGA as national representative for public health. He has chaired a number of national groups including the Pharmacy and Public Health Forum and the Public Health System Group for Public Health England for several years. He spent eight years as a Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care in Hackney.

He has been the Chair of Trustees for the Terrence Higgins Trust, the HIV and sexual health charity, since 2016, and is currently a member of the Chief Executive’s Advisory group at the King’s Fund.

Jonathan has a first degree in law and a Masters in public policy – both from UCL. He is an Honorary member of the Faculty of Public Health.

Jonathan McShane, Lay Chair of Council,
appointed by the Privy Council to serve from January 2024 - December 2027

Jennie graduated from Southampton University with a first class degree in Economics in 1984. Her early career was as an investment analyst and fund manager within the UK Equity market where she worked for a number of large institutional investors including Abbey Life and Aviva.

After moving to Yorkshire with a young family in 1995 her work has centred on corporate governance roles within the private and public sector with a focus on addressing economic, health and social inequalities in the region. She has been a director of Finance Yorkshire since it was created in 2009 in order to provide funding for small and medium sized businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber. She was a non-executive director at York Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for 8 years where she developed her knowledge of healthcare regulation and patient safety. She has recently been appointed as a member of the Governing Body of York St John University and chair of its Audit Committee.

Jennifer Adams, Lay Member of Council, 
appointed by the Privy Council to serve from September 2021, reappointed to serve from September 2024  - August 2028.

Paul is a graduate of McTimoney College of Chiropractic and has been the principal chiropractor at St Jude’s Chiropractic Clinic for over 24 years. He has extensive regulatory experience having completed 9 years on the Professional Conduct/Health Committee and 8 years on the Test of Competence panels. 

In 2023, Paul joined the Investigating Committee and became a Return to Practice Assessor. He is also a Mentor/Trainer for the Royal College of Chiropractors. 

Prior to qualifying as a chiropractor, Paul served 19 years in the Royal Air Force as an Engineering Officer. Outside chiropractic, he enjoys teaching and practising karate as a 6th dan black belt in the World Shotokan Karate Federation and has represented Great Britain in 4 World Championships. 

Paul was awarded an MBE by HM the Queen in 2003 for services to the Royal Air Force, sport and charity.

Paul Allison MBE, Registrant Member of Council,
appointed by the Privy Council to serve August 2024 - July 2028.

Elisabeth Angier graduated from University of Surrey in 2000 and has been in full-time private practice since. She has worked around the UK, and now runs her own clinic in Herefordshire. Before joining the GCC Council as a registrant member, Elisabeth has worked with the GCC as a Chair/Assessor for the GCC Test of Competence Committee and was a GCC Visiting Education Assessor. She is a visiting Clinical Supervisor at the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic, University of South Wales. Elisabeth is Chair of the Chiropractic Research Council, a UK based charitable organisation that aims to promote research and support researchers for the benefit of UK chiropractic patients.

She is a Fellow of the British Chiropractic Association and served on the BCA Council and Executive Council 2011 – 2016. She is a member of the Royal College of Chiropractors, and was on the steering committee of the Public Health Society.

In her spare time, Elisabeth can be found on and off the water at the Ross Rowing Club where she chairs the Fundraising Committee and as Regatta Secretary, organises the annual regatta. She is a keen walker and runner and has completed several marathons/half-marathons.

Elisabeth Angier, Registrant Member of Council,
appointed by the Privy Council to serve September 2021, reappointed to serve from September 2024 - August 2028.

Fergus Devitt is Managing Director of Rockpool Insights Ltd, his own business consultancy which was established in autumn 2018 to create stronger organisations and communities. Prior to that he had held a number of Director level posts in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, including Director of Active Communities in the Department for Communities. He is an Associate Consultant with the Leadership Centre for Health and Social Care in Belfast and also an Associate Consultant with Clarendon Executive.

Fergus is an experienced programme and project manager, a trained Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) and an accredited High Risk GatewayTM Reviewer.  He has delivered successful business and organisational transformation projects and was SRO for an award nominated digital transformation project.  He has significant experience of senior level recruitment, governance and Board effectiveness. He is able to make connections within, across and between organisations to strengthen those organisations, communities and individuals.

Fergus Devitt, Lay Member of Council (representing Northern Ireland),
appointed by the Privy Council to serve February 2020, reappointed to serve from February 2024 - January 2028.

Sam is a registered chiropractor, first registering with the GCC in January 2007. He has established several clinics in Sussex under the banner of Spinal Chap Chiropractic. These are the Park Practice Primary Care centre, Seaford Chiropractic Clinic, Bexhill Chiropractic Clinic and Burgess Hill Chiropractic Clinic.

In April 2022, Sam was appointed to the role of Test of Competence assessor at the GCC. 
Since 2012 he has been an Examiner, Lecturer, Clinic Supervisor & Module Leader at the McTimoney College of Chiropractic, Abingdon, Oxfordshire. 
From 2013 to September 2021 he served as a Registrant Member of the GCC Professional Conduct Committee sitting many times in considering allegations of unprofessional conduct.
During the pandemic, Sam was a clinical case worker deployed by the NHS in the test and trace service.

Samuel Guillemard, Registrant Member of Council,
appointed by the Privy Council to serve June 2023 - May 2027.

Professor Catherine Kelly is currently Professor of Law and History at the University of Bristol, appointed as Professor in August 2021. Since joining the University in July 2016 as Reader in Law, Catherine has acted as Chair of Examinations; Director of Undergraduate Studies; Faculty of Health Sciences Fitness to Practise Panel Member and Law School Director of Education. Prior to joining the University of Bristol, she was a senior lecturer in law at the University of Western Australia and worked as Senior Policy Adviser at the Australian Medical Association and in practice as a qualified Solicitor.

Catherine obtained a DPhil at the University of Oxford in November 2008. She has served as a Member on an extensive range of Committees in Australia and the UK since 2015 and has authored or co-authored numerous academic papers focused mainly on medicine and healthcare.

Catherine is the Chair of the Education Committee.

Catherine Kelly, Lay Member of Council,
appointed by the Privy Council to serve March 2023 - February 2027.  

Annie Newsam graduated from the University of South Wales in 2007, and worked in private practice as owner of a busy chiropractic clinic in South Wales. She is now a full-time senior lecturer at the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic, where she is Module Leader in Behavioural Science, Clinical Preparation, Clinical Diagnosis and Clinical Research. She is also an Academic Misconduct Officer and Investigation Officer for the University, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Before becoming a chiropractor, Annie had graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in Chemistry and worked in forensic toxicology as a laboratory manager and as an expert witness.

Annie has previously served as a registrant member on the GCC Professional Conduct Committee, the GCC Health Committee, the GCC Investigation Committee, and as a Chair/Assessor for the GCC Test of Competence Committee.

Annie Newsam, Registrant Member of Council (representing Wales),
appointed by the Privy Council to serve September 2020, reappointed to serve from September 2024 - August 2027.

Aaron has extensive experience leading and supporting good governance across a range of sectors including higher education, pensions, schools, insurance, culture/arts and healthcare.

He has been non-executive Board Chair of BPP University since September 2019 and is also Associate Director Governance at Advance HE (since 2014) and Director of his own consultancy firm (since 2011).

He is also currently a Governor of Goldsmiths University, London; Trustee of the King’s Head Theatre; and Governor and Chair of the Education Committee of Whitgift School, Croydon.

He was President of the National University of Students between July 2010 and June 2011, and has previously been a non-executive Director at a range of bodies, including Endsleigh Insurance; HEFCE; UCAS; Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education; the National Union of Students and University of Leicester.

Aaron served as a lay Member of the GCC Education Committee from 2015 until his appointment to Council this year. He has been involved during significant developments such as the approval of new Education Standards, which were approved by Council following recommendation to it by the Education Committee in December 2022.

Aaron Porter, Lay Member of Council,
appointed by the Privy Council to serve August 2023 - July 2027.

Ralph Pottie owns and runs a chiropractic clinic in Ayr, south-west Scotland, along with his wife, a fellow chiropractor. He is a member of the Royal College of Chiropractors, the British Medical Acupuncture Society and a Masters graduate of McTimoney College of Chiropractic.

Ralph trained and registered as a General Nurse at Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry, working in Accident and Emergency in Belfast City Hospital before taking an Honours degree in Environmental Health at the University of Ulster. He then embarked on a 17 year career, working in both policy development and regulatory areas of food safety in local government and pollution control with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.

He currently serves as a senior officer in the Army Reserves, Army Medical Services and is a Director of a limited company in Scotland.

Ralph Pottie, Registrant Member of Council (representing Scotland),
appointed by the Privy Council to serve August 2017, reappointed to serve from August 2021 - July 2025.

Keith Richards OBE is a barrister, arbitrator and CEDR-accredited mediator. He has served as an independent member and non-exec director on many regulatory bodies in a variety of sectors and specialises in professional / industry regulation, consumer rights, accessibility and equality issues and redress. He has been involved in developing policy on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Europe and in helping to resolve disputes through ADR for 30 years.

Keith currently chairs the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) at the Department for Transport, and the Renewable Energy Consumer Code Non-Compliance Panel. He is a board member for Transport for London, a member of the Financial Services Consumer Panel at the Financial Conduct Authority, and a Panel Member at the Competition and Markets Authority. Keith is also on the Board of ECPAT, a global charity campaigning against child trafficking and prostitution.

Previous roles include Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority Consumer Panel, Deputy Chair of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Consumer Affairs Panel, Director of Business and Professional Development and Consumer Affairs at the travel industry body ABTA, Senior Campaigns Lawyer at Which?, and legal editor of the journal Consumer Policy Review.

Keith was awarded an OBE in 2022 for services to access and inclusion in the transport sector.

Keith Richards OBE, Lay Member of Council,
appointed by the Privy Council to serve August 2017, reappointed to serve from August 2021 - July 2025.

After training as a Registered General Nurse at the Middlesex Hospital in London, Keith graduated from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in 1991. He was in private chiropractic practice nearly 30 years. He had teaching roles in the Peninsula Medical School for 15 years until 2019 and at the School of Health Professions, part of the Faculty of Health in the University of Plymouth. He is now a full-time lecturer in Health Sciences at the University of Plymouth where he is the Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning.

In the past, Keith has held council and executive roles in the British Chiropractic Association, and he currently serves on the research committee of the Royal College of Chiropractors. Keith has been registered with the General Chiropractic Council since its inception and is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Chiropractic . He currently serves on the GCC's Education Committee as a registrant and council member. He has a Doctorate from the University of Bath where he investigated how chiropractors' interface with evidence-based practice.

He recently stepped down as Chair of the Board trustees for DDRC, a local diving charity providing divers from Wales to the Southwest with lifesaving assistance using hyperbaric treatment for the 'bends'.

In his spare time, he enjoys exercising on his beloved Dartmoor and therefore is regularly in need of his own rehabilitation advice for the numerous physical ailments he acquires.

Keith Walker, Registrant Member of Council,
appointed by the Privy Council to serve September 2020, reappointed to serve from September 2024 - August 2027.