Our leadership

Meet the leaders and management team that work hard to deliver education and resources for our valued members

Overview

The UKCPA is managed on behalf of its members through the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors is responsible for the strategic management and direction of UKCPA and for ensuring that the company meets its statutory obligations. You can read more about how UKCPA is structured and governed through our Articles of Association and what our strategic plan is for 2023-28.

We are also part of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board to foster closer collaboration between pharmacy professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups to enable and support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to meet the opportunities and challenges ahead. You can find the proposed Vision and common purpose for this collaboration here.

Board of directors

Chair

John Warburton

Divisional Director of Professions & Clinical Pharmacy Manager of Surgery and Cardiac Services
University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Past Chair

Mohamed Rahman

Assistant Chief Pharmacist & Operational Services Manager
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Membership Lead

Islam Elkonaissi

Lead lung cancer & clinical commissioning support pharmacist
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Membership Support

Bartosz Tomaszewicz

Chief Pharmacist
HCRG Care Group
Education Lead

Sarah Knighton

Senior Clinical Lecturer – Pharmacy
University of Manchester
Education Lead

Karen Gunnell

MPharm Programme Director & Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice
Keele University
Finance & Governance Lead

Kate Webb

Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice (Placements Lead) & Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner
School of Allied Health Professionals and Pharmacy, Keele University

Management team

Chief Executive Officer
Dr Sarah Carter
Director of Operations
Marie Matthews
Strategic Development Manager
Zoe Girdis
Strategic Development Coordinator
Narretta Bala
Membership Coordinator
Nicola Simms
Events & Administration Coordinator
Lydia Johnson

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UK Clinical Pharmacy Association

Kate Webb

Day job: 

Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice (Placements Lead) & Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner
Keele University

Professional interests:

Experiential learning, advanced pharmacist qualifications & credentialing, renal pharmacy, pain management.

Zoe Girdis

Professional Interests: 

Polypharmacy & deprescribing; patient-centred care through shared decision making; education & training; advocating for the skills that the pharmacy profession adds to the health system

Passion projects:

Travelling (helps create new neuronal pathways!); destressing at the gym and with yoga and pilates; cooking from scratch

Nicola Simms

Professional Interests: 

Pharmacy ICU and neonatal oncology; pharmacy professional development; event management

Passion projects:

Travelling (aiming to visit four new countries per year!); house renovation

Marie Matthews

Professional Interests: 

Business and account management; project management; event management

Passion projects:

My two dogs; reading; visiting West Norfolk as much as possible

Sarah Carter, PhD

Professional Interests: 

Passion projects: Gardening & houseplants; exercising outdoors whatever the weather; travelling

Passion projects:

Gardening & houseplants; exercising outdoors whatever the weather; travelling

Contact us

Use the form below to ask any questions you have about UKCPA membership.

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I live

Karen Gunnell

Day job: 

MPharm Programme Director & Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Keele University

Professional interests: 

Higher education, professional development, mentoring.

Sarah Knighton

Day job: 

Senior Clinical Lecturer – Pharmacy, University of Manchester

Professional interests: 

Driving forward education, training and scholarship in clinical pharmacy.

Bartosz Tomaszewicz

Day job: 

Chief Pharmacist
HCRG Care Group 

Professional interests: 

Clinical Governance, Transformation and service improvements, Clinical substance misuse

Being a Director of UKCPA…  “is extremely rewarding and something I am proud to be a part of. Supporting UKCPA provides me with a great sense of pride and achievement. It gives me a platform to share my knowledge and it is a great way to work with colleagues across the healthcare system.

As the Chief Pharmacist for HCRG Care Group I lead on medicines optimisation, non-medical prescribing, transformation and pharmacy leadership. I also represent Independent Healthcare Providers (IHP) on the National SPS PGD Service Advisory Board. Wearing a number of hats allows me to support large scale change within the profession.”

Islam Elkonaissi

Day job:

Lead lung cancer & clinical commissioning support pharmacist
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Professional interests: 

Paediatrics & Neonates, Neurosciences, Research

Being a Director of UKCPA…“is an enormous sense of privilege. Through various positions and responsibilities I have gathered the opinions of healthcare professionals on possible improvements in the delivery of clinical pharmacy services in the UK. The UKCPA provides me with the platform to action these ideas and suggestions by developing workable plans with clear targets.”

John Warburton

Day job:

Divisional Director of Professions & Clinical Pharmacy Manager of Surgery and Cardiac Services
University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust

Professional interests:

Critical Care, Professional leadership, education

Being a Director of UKCPA…  “coach, facilitate, distil and develop the inspirational educational content of the next few years with the educational committee members and the wider UKCPA membership.”

Mohamed Rahman

Day job: 

Assistant Chief Pharmacist & Operational Services Manager
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Professional interests:

Leadership, Strategic development of clinical pharmacy services