EQUINE veterinary surgeon Dr Esther Skelly-Smith has been jointly elected new President of the Northern Ireland Branch of British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the President of the North Of Ireland Veterinary Association (NIVA).

Esther takes on the role following one year as Junior Vice President of both BVA’s Northern Ireland Branch and NIVA. She also holds many notable roles such as: equine expert on the College Advisory Group for the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise; the Northern Ireland Representative on the UK Notifiable Equine Diseases Core Group; is also an Ulster Farmers Union Next Generation Development Forum member and was BVA’s NI Regional representative.

Graduating in 2012 from the University of Nottingham, Esther interned at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket before establishing Shanaghan Veterinary Services which is Ireland’s first equine integrated veterinary referral service, in 2017. She is also an Honorary Lecturer with Queen’s University Belfast, acting as a supervisor and placement provider for undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and lecturing on equine welfare.

During the two associations joint Annual General Meeting, which was held on Wednesday, Esther succeeded Fiona McFarland as President of both BVA Northern Ireland Branch and NIVA, and was elected as the incoming 2023 President. Fiona will now move into the role of Senior Vice President of both associations.