PDSA Council

Mr Freddie Bircher MA

Freddie Bircher has been a PDSA Trustee since 2001. He was appointed PDSA Chairman in 2004 and is also a member of PDSA’s Finance & Investment Committee. He was educated at Christ’s College, Cambridge, gaining an MA in Law and Modern Languages, before joining the Alcan Aluminium Group, ending up Chairman and CEO of Alcan’s European subsidiary in the Benelux. Freddie then became a main board director at Powell Duffryn, a conglomerate with an annual turnover of some £800 million, and was responsible for their engineering activities worldwide. He has also held four non-executive directorships.

Mr Chris Heaps LLB

Chris Heaps joined PDSA Council in 1996 and is Chairman of the Audit Committee. Chris trained as a solicitor and, while a partner at Eversheds, he was President of the Holborn Law Society and a member of the Council of the Law Society, with responsibility for the Solicitors’ Complaints Bureau. He was also legal adviser to PDSA for many years. Chris is currently a Traffic Commissioner responsible for the regulation of bus, coach and lorry operators. He is also a Director of the UK Bus Driver of the Year Association Ltd and a Trustee of the Railway Heritage Trust. Chris chairs PDSA’s Audit Committee.

Dr Jerry Lucke BVSc PhD DVA MRCVS

Jerry Lucke joined PDSA Council in 2001 and was appointed Vice-Chairman in 2006. He is a qualified veterinary surgeon and after a number of years in general practice took on a teaching and research position at Bristol University. He was elected to the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1982 and was President from 1990 - 1991. Jerry has chaired several RCVS committees and also served on advisory committees for MAFF, MoD and BVA. He is currently a Trustee of the Veterinary Benevolent Fund and a member of PDSA’s Audit Committee.

Mr Michael Bolton FCA

Michael Bolton became a PDSA Trustee in 1997 when he retired from practice as a Chartered Accountant. He was appointed PDSA Vice-Chairman in June 2003, and also chairs PDSA’s Finance & Investment Committee. Michael was Regional Managing Partner of BDO Binder Hamlyn before the firm merged with Deloitte Touche, where he continued as partner of the merged firm.
Michael also served a term as President of the Birmingham and West Midlands Society of Chartered Accountants and for five years he was a member of the Education and Training Directorate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.