Olivier Picard named new NPA chair

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has announced Olivier Picard as the organisation’s new chair.

Picard replaces Nick Kaye whose term comes to an end this week.

He owns and operates four pharmacies in the Home Counties and has served as the association’s vice-chair for the past two years.

“It’s an honour to take over as chair from my brilliant predecessor Nick Kaye who has worked so energetically on behalf of NPA members and will undoubtedly continue to do so. His are big shoes to fill, but I will wear them with pride. I’ll keep the interests of NPA members at the heart of everything I do,” said Picard.

“As I look forward to the challenges ahead, I’m pleased to be surrounded by high calibre board colleagues and an impressive staff team.

Having trained as a pharmacist in France, Picard has spent most of his working life in the UK, working in community pharmacy for almost 20 years.

He was an area manager in Moss Pharmacy and established his own pharmacy business in 2006.

He has worked with the PSNC on rural pharmacy matters. He has been active promoting pharmacy on local and national BBC stations.

“I will keep asking, why are we here and how can we make things better, together? For me the answer to that question is because we care, because we can see a system that can be better, because we believe that change is possible, and because we know that the people we serve – our patients, our communities and our colleagues deserve nothing less.”

Sukhi Basra, who has served her central London community for over 25 years as owner of CliniChem Pharmacy in Victoria, has been named as vice-chair.

Sukhi Basra

She said: “I am a keen advocate for raising the profile of community pharmacy, which is a humble profession that is frequently overlooked as a solution for important healthcare challenges.

“We are clinicians and specialists in the use of medicines, not shop keepers.

“As the NPA’s first female Vice Chair, it’s wonderful to be in a leadership position on a board with the highest proportion of female representation in the NPA’s long history.”

In his term as chair, Kaye oversaw a crucial period for the sector which included campaigning for the new pharmacy contract that was eventually announced in March.

“It has been the professional privilege of my career to chair an organisation I care so deeply about. I want to thank the amazing people that work within the organisation and do so much behind the scenes, and my fellow board colleagues that spend time away from their businesses, family and friends and sacrifice a lot to represent us all,” said Kaye.

“In the last two years, together, we have achieved a lot – including a sustained media campaign raising the profile of members, our struggles and showcasing community pharmacy as whole, and I do believe this moved the number positively in the English contract negotiations, whilst also supporting the entire membership across all four nations.

“Plus travelling to Scotland, Wales and Northern Island to see how the NPA uniquely works across these jurisdictions and sharing best practice which benefits us all.

“We as an organisation are for our members from our members - a family of families. This ethos runs through everything we do.”

Joining the NPA board for the period April 2025 to March 2027, alongside existing members, are Dorset pharmacist Mike Hewitson, Dave Thomas from Cardiff and Joanne Wolfe representing NPA members in Northern Ireland.

Hewitson and Basra will serve two years as NPA nominees to Community Pharmacy England.