Representative Deputy Lieutenant for Merton

Surgeon Commodore Robin McNeill Love OStJ DL RN

Appointed Rep DL: 2025

Dr Robin McNeill Love is currently a Consultant in Occupational Medicine and previously qualified as a General Practitioner with post-graduate diplomas in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Anaesthetics and Aviation Medicine. Having trained at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine between 1979 and 1984, he served in the Royal Navy between 1981 and 2014. Serving in the UK and internationally, significant appointments have included: Principal Medical Officer (PMO) of HM Yacht BRITANNIA (1992-94); PMO of the Aircraft Carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS (1995-97); Staff Medical Officer (SMO) for the “OCEAN WAVE 97” Global Carrier Task Group; Commanding Officer of the Royal Naval Hospital (RNH) Gibraltar (2002-6); President of the Naval Service Medical Board of Survey (2006-09); Defence Postgraduate Medical Dean (2009-10). He attended the prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), London, in 2011. As Assistant Head of Medical Policy for the Surgeon General (2011-13), he was also the UK Delegate to the NATO Military Healthcare Committee.

In 2013, Surgeon Captain McNeill Love was privileged to be appointed an Honorary Physician to HM The Queen (QHP) and then promoted to Surgeon Commodore RN and appointed as Head of the Royal Naval Medical Service. Surgeon Commodore Robin McNeill Love QHP RN left the Royal Navy in December 2014.

Between 2015 and 2020, Dr Robin McNeill Love worked as a Consultant Occupational Physician in the City of London. Between 2019 and 2022, he worked as a Medical Assessor for the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Since 2022, due to his other non-medical commitments, he works as a part-time Consultant Occupational Physician for Health Partners Group.

Between 2015 and 2018, he served as a trustee of the UK military charity, the Officers’ Association, with particular emphasis on the benevolence area of operations.

In 2017, as a result of being selected as the UK’s nomination for international elections, Dr McNeill Love was elected to be a Vice-President of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) based in Bern, Switzerland. The IHFFC’s role concerns compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and is established by Additional Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions.

Between 2017 and 2023, he has served as a member of the Medical Board (previously the Medical Group) of the international demining charity, The HALO Trust, and was involved in two Medical Board assessment visits to Zimbabwe.

In 2018, he was elected as the Prime Warden of the City of London’s Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths for the year of 2018 to 2019.

In January 2019, Dr McNeill Love was honoured to be commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) for the Greater London Lieutenancy. In connection with his DL role, he is a representative for the Lord-Lieutenant on the Order of St John’s Greater London County Priory Group.

Robin is married to Penelope (known as “Poppy”) and they have four adult children. He is a member of “Chatham House”, a Regional Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, a Friend of the Royal Academy of Arts and his interests include international affairs, travel, music, tennis and skiing.

Further information about the London Borough of Merton can be found at http://www.merton.gov.uk/.