AGM sees Annette Doherty succeed Gill Reid as our president
New president Dr Annette Doherty said it is a ‘real honour and privilege’ to lead the Royal Society of Chemistry as she vowed to help build partnerships between academia and industry.
Dr Doherty started her two-year term as president at last night’s Royal Society of Chemistry Annual General Meeting, which took place at Burlington House, by paying tribute to her predecessor, Professor Gill Reid. She also pledged to ‘continue to broaden and increase the impact’ of the institution.
“It's hard to follow Gill but what I would say is that, for me, it's a real honour and privilege to take up the RSC presidency," said Dr Doherty, whose term will run until the summer of 2026.
"I will work really hard to support the great work that this really important charity does on behalf of members, with the staff, and with the chemical sciences community, both here in the UK and internationally.”
She added: “I've seen and experienced the impact that the RSC and its people have had over many decades throughout my career. I've always wanted to give something back in the same way that this wonderful organisation gave to me.
“The Royal Society of Chemistry has evolved over time, and it needs to continue to evolve in a changing world and to support the environment that we're living in today and the challenges that we have today.
“However, what remains for me is the same is the commitment that the RSC membership has to this organisation, because you are the core of what we are serving, and we are listening to you and your communities in what are the most important issues that you're working on and will want to work on in the future, so your volunteering, your input, your partnership with us is absolutely critical.”
Dr Doherty’s 35 years of international experience working within the pharmaceutical sector, including at Warner-Lambert, Pfizer and more recently GSK, will be invaluable as the chemical sciences continue to change at pace.
She believes that collaborations between academia and industry will be crucial to realising the potential of the chemical sciences and wants to encourage those during her term.
“We can't advance science without that interaction between industry and academia at some level,” she said. “I hope that my expertise in industry will bring some new perspectives also in how we can build those partnerships, which I think are critical in such an interdisciplinary scientific world.”
Dr Doherty paid tribute to several of her predecessors in the speech, including Prof Steven Ley, Prof Tom Welton and Prof Reid, whom she thanked for her ‘inspirational leadership and partnership over the last few years’.
And Prof Reid returned the favour in her own speech, pointing to Dr Doherty’s experience as a two-term Trustee and adding that she looks forward to ‘seeing her impact grow’ as president.
Prof Reid, who succeeded Prof Welton in 2022, called her time as president ‘a wonderful experience and a huge honour’ as she saluted the work of members for driving the organisation forward.
She nodded to the work the Royal Society of Chemistry is doing with regard to sustainability, inclusion and diversity, Open Access publishing, education policy and reform, and leadership on innovation topics as examples of the impact being made by staff and members.
Prof Reid, who was presented with the past president medal, said: “As well as connecting and advocating for chemists, we also have a leadership role, and I really want us to embrace that. It's clear from my discussions that people really value the RSC taking decisive action, not just identifying where problems lie, but actively looking for solutions, putting funding in to deliver our action plans to make change, partnering, championing, and putting our heads above the parapet, even when sometimes it can feel a little uncomfortable to do so.”
She added: “I'd like to thank everybody that I've worked with over the last two years and to wish Annette and our staff and members every success for the future.
“We have an enormous contribution to make to the world, but we can only fulfil that potential if we have the courage to show leadership and take action when it's required. Making a difference isn't easy – if it's easy, we're not trying hard enough.
“I'm looking forward to the next phase and will always be the strongest of advocates for our discipline, our community, and the RSC.”
Yesterday’s AGM also saw Prof Robert Mokaya formally take the title of president-elect. Prof Mokaya, who is the deputy vice-chancellor and provost at the University of Sheffield, won the recent presidential election and will succeed Dr Doherty when her term ends.
In a short speech, he too said he was honoured to take up his post and professed that he wants the Royal Society of Chemistry to ‘remain the trusted voice of the chemical sciences, one that leads rather than follows and that actually is involved in the right conversations’.
A busy evening of proceedings – which also saw the winners of several other elections announced to the audience – concluded with a vote of thanks from Prof Jeremy Sanders (pictured speaking, below), who is a member of our board of trustees.
He said: “The RSC touches the life of individuals, but applications for chemistry locally, nationally, internationally, showing how chemistry can make the world a better place – and that's something I think all of us who are involved are very conscious of and very proud of.”
- Read the updated list of Trustees and officeholders on the governance section of our website.
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