Tom Welton to become Royal Society of Chemistry president
Professor Tom Welton OBE CChem FRSC has been elected to become the Royal Society of Chemistry’s next president.
This follows an election process in which our members chose between Professor Welton and Dr David Rees as presidential candidates – marking only the second time in our history that an election has been held for the post.
Professor Welton will take up the role when our current president – Professor Dame Carol Robinson – completes her term of office in July 2020.
Tom Welton says: "I am absolutely chuffed to bits to be elected to be the next president of the Royal Society of Chemistry and I am very grateful to everyone who voted. I am particularly pleased that when given the chance, the membership voted for diversity. We know from the Breaking the Barriers report that there is much to be done and this will be front-and-centre for me in the coming few years.
"For me diversity and inclusion are not abstract concepts, nor have they ever been about wanting it to be easier for me. They have always been about everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, having access to the same opportunities and experiences that I have been lucky enough to enjoy. I look forward to working with you all to make this happen.
"I would also like to thank David Rees for standing to be president in the first open election under the new electoral system. Under any other circumstances, I would happily have voted for him. I look forward to continuing to work with him over the next few years to develop the RSC."
Dr David Rees CChem FRSC wrote to his fellow Trustees this afternoon, having spoken with Tom Welton to congratulate him.
He told them: "I am confident that Tom will be an excellent president and I’m pleased to give him my full support. Thanks to everybody who participated in the election. I believe we all played a role in supporting the RSC in the post-governance review to increase transparency."
Elections for trustees, boards and committees
As well as electing a president, our members have been voting for candidates for positions on our governance boards and committees, including a number of posts on our governing Council – our board of trustees.
Our independent electoral services provider, Mi-Voice, will confirm the results of the Trustees election later this week and results for all remaining posts will be announced at our Annual General Meeting on 10 July 2019 and in member magazines in the following month.
Find out more about Tom Welton
Professor Tom Welton is Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Professor of Sustainable Chemistry at Imperial College London.
A vocal champion of inclusion and diversity in the chemical sciences, Tom was nominated as one of our 175 faces of chemistry in celebration of our 175th anniversary.
In the run-up to the election, Tom spoke to us to tell us why he wanted to take on this role. Here's the full video...
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