New Chair of Council
Dr Victoria Tzortziou Brown has been elected by RCGP Council as the next Chair of the College. She will take up office for a three-year term in November 2025, succeeding Professor Kamila Hawthorne.
Our new Chair trained as a GP in London and has spent over two decades working on the frontline in East London, caring for patients in one of the UK’s most diverse and deprived communities.
Dr Tzortziou Brown becomes the first International Medical Graduate (IMG) to be elected Chair of the RCGP. A longstanding Faculty and national College leader, she has previously served as RCGP Joint Honorary Secretary (with Dr Jonathan Leach) and London Faculties Chair. She is currently College Vice Chair for External Affairs and was awarded an OBE for services to general practice in the 2020 New Year Honours.
Vice Chair Member Standards
The College has also announced the election of Dr Jamie Hynes as Vice Chair Member Standards.
Dr Hynes describes himself as an ‘enthusiastic and fulfilled’ GP Partner, Trainer and Training Programme Director at Horseley Heath Surgery, Tipton in the Black Country, the practice where he completed training as a Registrar in 2007. He is the current Midland Faculty Chair.
Dr Hynes qualified from the University of Birmingham Medical School in the 50th year of the RCGP in 2002 and is a proud father of two boys, aged 12 and nine.
Vice Chair Policy
The College has also announced the election of Dr Munro Stewart as Vice Chair Policy.
Dr Stewart is a six-session partner at Westgate Medical Practice, a large busy surgery in Dundee. He studied and now teaches at The University of Dundee, and has also worked in Glasgow, the Isle of Man, New Zealand and in remote and rural practice around the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. He has been involved in research in air pollution, green prescribing and social prescribing in recent years.
Dr Stewart was awarded a Fellowship of the College in 2023 and became RCGP Sustainability Champion in 2024. He is Chair of East Scotland Faculty Board, which he has represented at UK Council for four years. He has worked particularly on health inequalities, environmental sustainability, and on mental health - contributing to the Strang Report and Scottish Government Quality and Safety Board for mental health services as a College representative.
Scottish Council Ballot Member Election timetable
Roles available:
- 2x RCGP Scottish Council Ballot Member positions to serve a three-year term (2024-2027)
Key dates:
- Nominations open: Tuesday 17 June 2025
- Nominations close: Tuesday 22 July 2025, 12:00
- Ballot opens: Monday 4 August 2025
- Ballot closes: Monday 8 September 2025, 12:00
- All candidates notified of result: Induction Packs sent to new Ballot Members: W/C Monday 8 September 2025
- Results ratified at Scottish Council: Wednesday 17 September 2025
- New Ballot Members attend first meeting of 73rd Scottish Council: Saturday 22 November 2025
Nominations
All nominations and the ballot are run through our election partner microsites.
Nominations open soon. Applicant packs containing full details about the roles and eligibility criteria, and the nominations form once nominations open, are available on the external website.
All College Members and Fellows resident in Scotland, and in good standing (i.e. fully paid up in their fees and subscriptions due to the College), may self-nominate for the position of nationally elected Scottish Council ballot member.
Voting
Eligible members of the RCGP will receive an email from our election partner, Civica, with their individual voting link and details of how to vote once voting has opened. All College Members and Fellows resident in Scotland are eligible to vote in the Scottish Council Ballot Member elections.
If members have not received an email by Wednesday 6 August 2025 please go to the external website and select Help in the bottom left hand corner of the page.
College Elections 2025 - live hustings
In a landmark moment in the College’s history, we hosted the first-ever live ‘hustings’ for the election of the next RCGP Chair of Council on Tuesday (17 June), to succeed Professor Kamila Hawthorne in November 2025.
Broadcast live to Council members, this special event offered a unique opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about their views on key issues affecting our members, the College, and general practice, as well as gaining insight into the skills and experience they would bring to this vitally important role. It was recorded as live and is now available for all College members to view (you’ll need to log in using your member details).
The two candidates standing for election are Dr Victoria Tzortziou-Brown and Dr Michael Mulholland and the event was chaired independently by the Director of Communications and Engagement at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) to ensure a fair and balanced discussion.
While only Council members are eligible to vote for the Chair, you can contact your Faculty representatives and Nationally Elected Members if you would like to share your views with them.
Voting opens next week for Council members, and we expect to announce the results on 16 July.
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