Simon Thornton-Wood PhD has been Chief Executive of the College of General Dentistry since the transfer in 2021 of its role from the former Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, of which he had been Director for five years. He started his career as an evolutionary biologist and botanist, ultimately as Director of Science & Learning at the Royal Horticultural Society. Thereafter he played a leading role in reform of legal training in England & Wales as Director of Education & Training for the barristers’ regulator. At the College, he has been working with a passionate community of dental professionals to foster an organisation worthy of the recognition it deserves amongst healthcare peers, ultimately with a Royal Charter.