Alex O’Brien is the new ABSW Chair

(From left) Alex O'Brien, elected Chair, Andy Extance, former Chair, JV Chamary, Treasurer, and Sallie Robins, Executive Secretary, during the ABSW Annual General Meeting on 26 March 2026.

Alex O’Brien, former ABSW Vice-Chair, was ratified as the new ABSW Chair, and Sarah Wild, former ABSW Board member, was elected as the new ABSW Vice-Chair. The new composition of the ABSW Board was announced at the ABSW Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, 26 March 2026.

Four posts were open to nomination in February: Chair, Vice-Chair, and two general Board members. Three of the posts were uncontested – Alex O’Brien, as Chair, and Paul Adepoju and Charles Ebikeme, as general Board members.

The post of Vice-Chair was contested and was determined by a ballot open to every Full and Life member. In total, there were 447 eligible voters. The election period ran from 12 to 26 March 2026 using the platform Election Runner. All eligible members were contacted by email, and 140 (31%) voted. Sarah Wild got the majority of votes (75, representing 54%), and Andy Extance, former ABSW Chair, got 46% of the votes (65). (See voting results here.)

The AGM thanked the Board members who served in the last year and are now leaving the Board: Andy Extance (Chair), Mun-Keat Looi (Board member), Katharine Sanderson (Board member), and Emma Hattersley (Student Rep). At the next Board meeting, up to five Board members may be co-opted, which shall include Associate and Student members who are not eligible for election.

Still related to the election process, changes were introduced (and voted on) to the ABSW Standing Orders. These changes aim to make clear who can stand for elections or nominate candidates, which follow the same eligibility criteria as for those who can vote. They also now include what is considered a valid Full membership for all aspects of the election process. (You can find the voted changes here.)

As determined in the last AGM, in 2025, a working group was created to discuss and prepare a paper explaining the reward system for members of the Board for ABSW-related activities. The ABSW Board will introduce a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) allowance of £300 per year for all Board members and Board directors. This document (available here) sets out the Board's intentions and the governance framework under which the policy will operate over the two-year pilot period. The framework includes no cash payments to individuals, approval by two directors, and eligibility criteria. If you have any questions, please contact the ABSW Board.

ABSW members were asked in advance to nominate members for a Life membership, which can be attributed to those who have provided outstanding service to science writing or to the ABSW itself. The AGM approved the Life membership for Philip Ball, Michael Le Page, and Alok Jha. Current Life members also include Wendy Barnaby, Andy Coghlan, Deborah Cohen, Barbie Drillsma, Pallab Ghosh, John Gribbin, Wendy Grossman, Roger Highfield, Martin Ince, Natasha Loder, Debora MacKenzie, Connie St Louis, Peter Wrobel, and more.

During the AGM, the Chair’s and Treasurer’s reports were presented and approved by ABSW members attending.