Mrs Vanessa Cameron MBE retired in December 2016 after serving 32 years as the Chief Executive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. When she retired, the College had over 17,000 members, a turnover of £19 million and a staff of 200. In this role she worked closely with the President, Honorary Officers and trustees to ensure that the College carried out its objectives and purposes as defined in its Royal Charter. Mrs. Cameron provided the overall management of the College’s staff and infrastructure. She helped grow the organisation into the influential institution that it is today. Under her leadership service user involvement was developed, anti-stigma campaigns were launched and race equality policies were implemented
Since retirement from the Royal College, Mrs. Cameron has provided consultancy services to the World Psychiatric Association helping the Secretariat to develop and providing advice on management, governance and constitutional matters.
She has worked with the UK Ministry of Justice for over ten years working as a Specialist Lay Member for the Tribunal Service for Mental Health. The Tribunal Service has responsibility for reviewing the detention of individual patients. She has participated in over 300 tribunals.
Her particular interests are in the public perception of psychiatry, the eradication of stigma in psychiatry, equality issues and organizational change.
Mrs. Cameron was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder in her early twenties and has lived with the condition ever since. She was awarded the MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List in 2013 for services to psychiatry.