As I write this, I've just come out of a meeting with colleagues from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG). They're exploring governance reforms similar to those RACS undertook just two years ago.

It struck me that conversations we once thought were unique to our College are now happening across the specialist medical college sector. Organisations are asking how they can strengthen governance, improve financial oversight and risk management, and ensure they remain sustainable into the future.

I'll admit those weren't always easy conversations at RACS. Members held different views and cared deeply about the outcome, which is exactly as it should be. But looking back, I'm proud that we had the courage to embrace change.

Today, our Board is well established, providing strong oversight of the College's finances, operations and risk while allowing Council to focus on strategic direction and the profession we serve. Importantly, Fellows continue to hold the majority of Board positions and, under our Constitution, the Chair must always be a Fellow. That means our College remains led by surgeons, for surgeons, while benefiting from the governance expertise needed to navigate an increasingly complex environment.

Last month marked another important milestone with the election of Professor Brian Owler AM as Chair of the Board, alongside Fellow directors Dr Cathy Ferguson, ONZM and Immediate past president Professor Owen Ung. Owen deserves particular recognition for the significant role he played in guiding the College through our governance transition. The foundations laid over recent years are already helping position RACS for the future.

Reflecting on this reminded me that it isn't the first time our College has chosen to lead rather than follow.

More than a decade ago, when the culture of surgery rightly came under scrutiny, RACS confronted the issue head-on through Building Respect, Improving Patient Safety. Rather than waiting for change to happen around us, we committed to leading it ourselves. That work continues today and it remains something I'm deeply passionate about. 

That willingness to reflect, adapt and lead is part of our College's story, and it's something we will celebrate as we mark 100 years of RACS in 2027. 

As co-chair of the Centenary Planning Working Group alongside Associate Professor Mike Hollands, I've had the privilege of being involved in developing a program that celebrates not only where we've come from, but where we're heading to.

The first major event will be our Founders Centenary in Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, where the College held its first Council meeting in February 1927. It promises to be a memorable celebration, incorporating the Aotearoa New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), a centenary dinner and cèilidh, a cultural competency workshop and an academic research prize fittingly named after RACS founder Sir Louis Barnett. I hope many of you will join us.

We're also collecting stories from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand to share throughout our centenary year. I'd encourage you to share the stories that have helped define our first 100 years and will inspire the next.

The Centenary is one part of a broader program of work focused on how we continue to serve our members and support the future of surgery. That work—the Member Value Proposition program—is progressing well, with initiatives underway to improve the experience of engaging with RACS. 

Current areas of focus include exploring ways to make CPD easier, improving our digital services, strengthening member communications and modernising the member journey. Members will begin to see improvements introduced progressively as this work continues, and we will share updates throughout the program.

As we approach our centenary, I'm reminded that the strength of our College has always come from our willingness to evolve while staying true to our purpose. I look forward to seeing that continue as we begin our second century.

Warm regards, 
Dr Christine Lai
Vice President