Inauguration of the first UK president of FESSH

04 June 2026

Today we celebrate a proud moment for British hand surgery as Mr Zafar (Zaf) Naqui has been inaugurated as the first UK president of FESSH.

Zafar is a Consultant Hand & Wrist Surgeon based at Salford Royal and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester. His clinical practice focuses on wrist pain, trauma and thumb base arthritis.

He has made sustained contributions to hand surgery in the UK through the BSSH, where he has served for over a decade in a range of leadership roles including Council Member and outgoing Honorary Treasurer, with responsibilities including the Financial Audit and Risk Committee. He is a longstanding examiner and tutor for the BSSH Diploma and has contributed extensively to education and training through the Instructional Courses in Hand Surgery (ICHS), as convenor of the BSSH cadaveric Masterclass programme, and through the mentorship and training of fellows and trainees over many years.

He has also played a key role in modernising communication within the specialty, serving as the first Chair of the BSSH Communications Committee and leading digital initiatives including Journal Club webinars. In parallel, he has held digital leadership roles within the Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), including as Social Media Editor.

Alongside his clinical and educational work, he has held senior NHS leadership roles, most recently as Group Clinical Director for Trauma, Orthopaedic and Plastic Surgery across the Northern Care Alliance.

He is the first UK surgeon to serve as President of the Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand (FESSH), marking a significant moment for UK hand surgery and reflecting his longstanding contribution to BSSH and leadership within European hand surgery.

The BSSH wishes Zaf every success for this role.

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