RPS Scotland director, deputy director announce retirement

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) director for Scotland Alex MacKinnon and his deputy Aileen Bryson today announced their plans to step down.

MacKinnon is due to step down in the middle of 2020 while Bryson will retire at the end of April 2020.

MacKinnon, who has been leading the RPS Scotland since 2010, also served as interim CEO of the RPS during 2017.

Commenting on his decision, he said: “My decision to retire has not been an easy one to make, with the pharmacy agenda as complex and challenging as ever. The professional body needs to be at the forefront of enabling the profession and its membership to maximise the opportunities that still and always will present themselves in the future.

“However, it really is time for me to retire and I am looking forward to having more time with family, lots of hobbies and of course motorsport! I now look forward to supporting my professional body through the Fellows’ group and the retired pharmacists’ group."

RPS Chief Executive Paul Bennet lauded MacKinnon’s contributions to both the RPS and wider profession over the last ten years.

“I would particularly like to pay tribute to his advocacy for the profession at numerous Scottish Parliament engagements, never losing sight that RPS members are at the very centre of the organisation and making their wellbeing and professional advancement his prime concern,” Bennet said.

Aileen Bryson has also been serving as the Scottish policy and practice lead for the RPS.

She commented: “It has been a delight and a privilege to be part of the RPS team over the past nine years and to have worked across Scotland and GB. I started in this role because I firmly believe we need a strong professional body as a voice for pharmacists wherever they are practising and that we still have so much to contribute and offer to healthcare.

“We have come a long way already and there is still so much to do but the future is looking very optimistic for those starting their careers, but I am now looking forward to more time for home and personal life.