Member benefits and events committee

Member Benefits and Events Committee team

Guy Killick (Chair)

Graduating from the University of Liverpool in 2016 Guy first started work as a mixed practitioner in the Yorkshire before switching to small animals full time just before covid. During covid he locumed at various practices up and down the country before setting in London and setting up Palace Vets, a mobile veterinary practice.

John Beel

John graduated in South Africa and after a few years of general small animal practice followed the good weather to the UK. John gained the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2004 and became an Advanced Practitioner in 2015. John is the Clinical Services Director for Medivet and still maintains an active clinical life doing second opinion ophthalmic work. John has published in the field of ophthalmology and enjoys providing ophthalmic CPD to students and peers. He has been chair and now co-chair of the Medivet clinical board, past member of the Leonberger club of GB health committee as well as being active member of several UK veterinary associations.

William Brookes

Will is a small animal vet based in Warwickshire working in primary care practice. Graduating from Nottingham Vet School, he has volunteered with the BVA since 2022, including with the MBEC and is the Young Vet Network representative for the West Midlands. He has a particular interest in surgery and post-operative rehabilitation. Will is also a Vet Sustain Champion, actively involved in developing sustainability in practice and across the profession, including particularly for Vet Students and New Graduates.

Catherine Hemingway

Catherine worked as a first opinion small animal vet for 8 years . During this time she gained the A1 Assessor award and Clinical Coach status. Catherine moved into academia in 2014 and is currently a Programme Leader for an undergraduate degree programme. She has a keen interest in programme and assessment design. Catherine gained a CertAVP in 2019, is currently studying for a MSc in Digital Education and applying to be a Senior Fellow of Advance HE.

Charlotte Jones

Charlotte is currently the President of the Association of Veterinary Students and a final year student at the University of Bristol, having started on the accelerated graduate entry programme in 2021. In addition to her work with BVA and AVS, Charlotte has a keen interest in neurology having previously studied neuroscience, and also enjoys exotics and internal medicine, with the aim of becoming a small animal vet in the near future.

Kate Oppenheimer

Kate graduated from the RVC in 2012 and began her career in mixed practice. In 2018, she moved into small animal practice and completed a PGCert in Small Animal Medicine the following year. She has remained with the same practice since then, taking on the role of Clinical Director in 2021 and continues to enjoy clinical work. She has a strong interest in psychology, particularly the factors influencing retention and wellbeing in the veterinary industry. This led her to pursue a Master's in Organisational Psychology, completing her thesis in September 2024.

Aoife Reid

Aoife Reid graduated from University College Dublin in 2001. She spent some time in equine, mixed and small animal practice. She started working in small animal emergency practice in 2006 and has remained in this field ever since. She joined Vets Now in 2009 and her current role revolves around clinical education. Aoife has completed her CertAVP (ECC) and is an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Emergency and Critical Care. She has a Masters in Veterinary Education and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She also works part-time for Pet Bloodbank UK and is a parent to two lively toddlers!

Victoria South

Victoria is an equine internal medicine specialist, who worked for more than a decade as a specialist at Liphook Equine Hospital, a large referral centre in the south of England. She is working towards an MSc in Evidence Based Healthcare at Oxford University, works as a private consultant, and is also affiliated to the University of Cambridge. She is particularly interested in knowledge dissemination, and evidence literacy, and antimicrobial stewardship. She was a BEVA Council Member from 2020-2023, and is really looking forward to becoming involved with the wider profession as a BVA committee volunteer.

Alice Watson

Alice is a small animal vet from Suffolk and has been a member of MBEC since 2022. She graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2017 and immediately developed an interest in Emergency and Critical care, an area in which she is now an Advanced Practitioner. While doing quite a lot of OOH work for a large small animal hospital in Norwich she also enjoys laparoscopic surgery during day shifts as well as providing clinical teaching for the hospital’s new graduates. She also provides veterinary career guidance for Norfolk County Council, is a mental health first aider and is responsible for overseeing the RCVS’ Practice Standards accreditation for her practice.