Athur Harikrishnan
Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland
President's Message — 2026
Dear Colleagues,
As we progress through 2026, I am proud to reflect on the momentum ACPGBI has built in delivering our shared vision for coloproctology across Great Britain and Ireland. Our 2026 strategy is the natural evolution of the "light touch, bottom-up" framework introduced in October 2024, which empowered every committee and sub-committee to shape their own priorities and deliverables. At our pivotal meeting in Belfast in November 2025, this crystallised into three clear strategic initiatives, Early Onset Colorectal Cancer, Research, and Membership, which are now actively progressing.
Our 2026 Mission
"To promote the best clinical practice for people with colorectal diseases in Great Britain and Ireland through the provision of high-quality patient care, education and research."
Six strategic objectives underpin everything we do — acting as the voice of the specialty, delivering world-class education and training, facilitating and disseminating research, improving patient care and outcomes, establishing Colorectal Disease as the premier journal in our field, and promoting the safe adoption of AI, robotic and digital technology for patient benefit.
Three Strategic Priorities for 2026
a. Early Onset Colorectal Cancer (EOCRC)
The incidence of EOCRC is rising, often presenting late with aggressive tumours in younger patients who carry a potentially poorer prognosis precisely because CRC is not suspected at primary care level. ACPGBI is committed to becoming a key authority on EOCRC through de-novo research, public and primary care awareness campaigns, standardisation of FIT testing and screening age and mandatory PROMs in our databases.
We are also working on guidance on right-sided resections and organ preservation.
b. Research
Our community is research-active, but participation has been siloed and concentrated in fewer centres. In 2026 we are building a dedicated collaborative research hub, acting as facilitator, to increase the quality, quantity, impact and breadth of colorectal research across the entire ACPGBI network. Key priorities include growing NIHR portfolio recruitment, delivering ACPGBI-endorsed collaborative projects, establishing a formal research mentorship pipeline, and improving dissemination of our outputs. This is backed by significant investment proceeding through a formal tendering process.
c. Membership
Membership is the lifeblood of this Association, and it is about building a vibrant, inclusive, and leading professional community. We are addressing static membership numbers and engagement gaps through three focused initiatives:
- Membership Retention and Value — ensuring every member clearly experiences the benefit of belonging to ACPGBI.
- Trainee and Early-Career Engagement — building lifelong membership habits from the very start of a surgical career.
- Multidisciplinary Expansion — reflecting the full breadth of the modern colorectal workforce, including nurses and allied health professionals.
A dedicated Membership Working Group is underway and will formalise into a Membership Committee soon.
Our People
The strength of ACPGBI lies in its people. The Executive's strategic leadership, the Council's democratic voice, and the tireless voluntary contribution of Committees and Sub-Committees set the standard for everything this Association achieves. Regional Chapters across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland are central to our mission, bringing it to life at a local level. The secretariat and administrative team form the backbone of the organization, and their dedication transforms strategy into action and ambition into delivery, and their contribution is immeasurable. At the heart of everything stands our wider membership of over 1,500 surgeons, nurses, and allied health professionals whose daily commitment to outstanding clinical care, pertinent research, and dedicated training is the living proof of what ACPGBI exists to achieve.
Collaboration and External Partnerships
In 2026, we continue to deepen our relationships with partner organisations and our international networks. We engage actively with regulators and policymakers across all four nations to ensure that the coloproctology community has a seat at the table when decisions affecting our patients and our practice are made.
Looking Ahead
Alongside our strategic priorities, ACPGBI must be an organisation fit for the future, resilient, adaptable, and agile enough to meet evolving challenges and deliver what members and the wider colorectal workforce require. Our governance, processes, and infrastructure must be built not just for today, but for the years and decades ahead. Building that resilience is the very foundation upon which our clinical and scientific mission depends.
The work of our committees, the vitality of our chapters, the innovation of our researchers, and the dedication of every member give me enormous confidence that the best of ACPGBI is still to come.
With gratitude and ambition,
Athur Harikrishnan
President, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland
2025–2026