OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION
ALEX MACKINNON, ROYAL PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY IN SCOTLAND
CURRENTLY INTERIM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT THE ROYAL PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY (RPS), ALEX MACKINNON HAS HAD A LONG AND VARIED PHARMACY CAREER; ONE WHICH HAS ENCOMPASSED PRACTICALLY EVERY SECTOR OF THE PROFESSION.
Since 2010, Alex has, of course, been Director for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland, strategically promoting and developing the work of the Society in Scotland in accordance with the Scottish Pharmacy Board’s (SPB) vision and aspiration for the pharmacy profession in Scotland.
In his role, Alex has been involved in developing and evolving the SPB’s business plan on an annual basis, in line with the objectives agreed by the Board, and in line with the RPS’s GB strategic objectives to advance the pharmacy profession in Scotland for public and patient.
Prior to joining RPS, from 2005 to 2007, Alex had spent two years as Head of Professional Services Development, Communication and External Relations for the Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council. In early 2007, he had been responsible for delivering the programme of rebranding the Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council to Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) and, once this was completed, he was then simultaneously appointed as Head of Corporate Affairs for CPS.
In this role, Alex was responsible for delivering a major rewrite of the CPS constitution, a modernisation of the local and national election processes for the organisation, a
modernisation of the local NHS Board Pharmacy Contractor Committees, and the subsuming of the Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation into CPS.
This corporate affairs role meant that Alex was great involved in political advocacy and lobbying with MSPs, MPs, MEPs, the Civil Service, Government ministers, the NHS and a wide range of external key stakeholders.
Alex had cut his ‘negotiating teeth’ during 2003-4 when he held the post of Head of Government Relations for LloydsPharmacy in Scotland. Alex’s responsibilities in this role included engaging, networking, informing and influencing Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) to ensure that LloydsPharmacy was a main player in influencing the decision-making and strategic processes in pharmacy politics in Scotland.
This role for LloydsPharmacy followed the ten years that Alex had spent with the company, firstly as Area Manager for Fife, Tayside Grampian, Highland and Forth Valley areas, and subsequently as Regional Manager for Scotland and the Isle of Man.
In July 1997, Alex became Regional Manager for Scotland, the North East of England, the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Jersey and Guernsey and, as
such, was responsible for all aspects of pharmaceutical services, retail sales, merchandising, marketing, training, operations, sales and profitability for 250 pharmacies! During the six years that he held this post, Alex oversaw and was responsible for an extensive shop rebranding and refit programme in which more than 120 pharmacies were refitted over a four-year period.
Alex’s own pharmacy career actually began in 1975 when, following his graduation from Strathclyde University in Glasgow with a BSc (Honours) in Pharmacy, specialising in pharmaceutical chemistry, he spent his pre-reg year working at R Gordon Drummond Ltd in Falkirk. Over the next few years, Alex was to progress his pharmacy career, working his way up to pharmacy manager.
In 1983, however, academia was to re-enter Alex’s life when, after seven years with Savory and Moore Chemists in Leighton Buzzard, he was appointed Community Pharmacy Pre-registration Tutor, taking on responsibility for the training of six pre-registration pharmacy students over a seven-year period.
Although he is renowned for his love of, and dedication to, the pharmacy profession, Alex also has a wide range of interests. In addition to quality time with his family, Alex also lists
SCOTTISH PHARMACIST - 45
his interests as golf, photography, motorsport, music and saxophone.
Alex MacKinnon’s career has featured every aspect of pharmacy; from academia to lobbying; from working in community pharmacy to leading and delivering the advocacy, stakeholder engagement, PR activity and policy development of RPS.
With that in mind, it is perhaps unsurprising that Alex should be the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Pharmacy. His contribution to the profession is not simply wide ranging. It has been – and continues to be – one that is delivered with diplomacy, humility and respect, and is one of the reasons why he is held in such regard by his peers, colleagues and friends.
And it’s not over yet!
As Professor Harry McQuillan said as he presented Alex with his trophy on the evening, ‘It’s been great to work with Alex over the years, and I’m sure he still has plenty to offer Scottish pharmacy in the years to come’.
Indeed.
Prof. Harry McQuillan, Community Pharmacy Scotland, Alex Mackinnon, Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Bernard Stottelaar, EMIS Health
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
