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Andrew Coulter elected as new BSHAA Vice President

Members of the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists have elected their new Vice President.

Andrew Coulter is the first Vice President to be directly elected by members of the Society and will serve as Vice President until 2019 when he will become BSHAA’s next President.

Andrew has been a BSHAA Council member since 2014 and is the chair of the Society’s Professional Development Delivery and Professional Standards committees. He has been a hearing aid audiologist since 2005 and is the Learning and Development Manager for Boots Hearingcare.

In a close-run election, Andrew secured 55% of the votes, with David Foley – BSHAA company secretary and chair of the Society’s Customer Care committee – polling 45%.

Members of the Society voted throughout November to elect their new Vice President, as well as new Council members. Peter Sydserff, David Foley and Raul Garcia-Medina were returned to Council and will be joined by new Council member Robin Gordon. Turnout for the Vice President election was 27%, and 26% for the Council members election.

Andrew said: “I’m incredibly proud to be elected as the Society’s Vice President. To be able to give back to a profession that has given me so much is a real privilege. I’m looking forward to working with Sarah Vokes, our President, and Council members to build strong external relationships with other professional bodies and to shape the future of hearing care provision in the UK. I want to work closely with all our members to involve them in the journey. As a profession, we’re in a period full of new opportunities presented by advancing technologies and changes in the wider political landscape. BSHAA will lead the evolution required and support our members to flourish.”

BSHAA President Sarah Vokes said: “I’m looking forward to working closely with Andrew and all Council members to continue developing strong relationships with other audiology bodies and to embrace the huge opportunities for our profession and our members. I’d like to thank all members who voted, as it is so important that Council members receive a strong mandate for the important work they do.”

BSHAA chief executive Prof David Welbourn added: “The first directly elected Vice President is an important moment for the Society. We had two excellent candidates and I’m looking forward to continuing working with both Andrew and David, and all Council members. By volunteering to form part of Council, members are committing to ensure that BSHAA is a meaningful and vibrant professional body.”