A recruitment drive to find a new chief executive and registrar of the General Optical Council will begin early next year following Samantha Peters’ decision to stand down and focus on studying for a PhD.
Peters said she planned to take a ‘significant break’ from her career to allow her to research her doctorate in kindness, compassion and altruism, which will have a strong focus on the failings in care at Mid-Staffs Hospital. Her last day with the regulator will be June 13 2017, by which time she will have held the position for over six years.
GOC chair Gareth Hadley said her achievements during her time with the organisation were significant: ‘She has overseen the transformation of CET, the introduction of new standards which the professions are really embracing, and great improvements both in our stakeholder engagement and in the efficiency with which we carry out our core regulatory functions. She has also overseen the modernisation of the organisation, including the move to our new fit for purpose office.’
Peters added: ‘It is with great sadness that I will say goodbye to the GOC next summer. I am confident though that the organisation is in a great place to meet the significant challenges caused by the rapid pace of technological change in the sector and the need to modernise the education of optical professionals.
‘Although my plans for my career break are exciting I will look back on my time at the GOC extremely fondly. In particular, it has been a pleasure to work with such a committed team and I wish everyone all the best for the future.’