Key Summary
- The winner of Pharmacy Business of the Year, Sunil Chandrana, conducted a session on “How I Won Pharmacy Business of the Year.”
- Chandrana traces the success behind winning Pharmacy Business of the Year to three pillars.
- He emphasises that no pharmacy succeeds in isolation.
Sunil Chandrana, the winner of Pharmacy Business of the Year, said that success in this profession is never an individual effort that it is built through collaboration, trust, and consistency over time.
While giving a presentation “How I Won Pharmacy Business of the Year award” during the 2026 Pharmacy Business Conference on Sunday (19), the owner of May & Thompson said, “No one wins an award like this on their own. This award may have my name attached to it; however, it belongs just as much to the people I work with, the community that we serve, and the teams who show up every day and make it possible.”
An ardent Arsenal fan, Chandrana also founded AlphaRize, a pharmacy-led platform built to support pharmacy owners, and is the director at McQueen’s Group LLP.
He said that pharmacy has always been a part of his life but it was not what he intended to do at first. His father was a pharmacist, his wife is a pharmacist, and his sister had worked in a pharmacy.
But he was on his way to study accountancy in 2001. Then he took a U‑turn at the eleventh hour and landed up in pharmacy.
"That decision surprised most people, including me. But looking back, it was the first time I learned an important lesson. Sometimes the decisions which shape you most are the ones you make before you feel completely ready,” he said.
After starting The Queen's Pharmacy in Kent, the initial years were hard for him.
Chandrana explains that the pharmacy’s local area went through a major regeneration, with around half of the estate relocating and footfall dropping dramatically. Later, his pharmacy got affected by a major flood - a challenge that tested not just systems, but people, he said.
What stood out to him most, however, was how the community responded: patients checked in, neighbours offered help, and local businesses asked what the pharmacy needed.
“It was a reminder that pharmacy meant something beyond transactions. That moment reinforced why we were there in the first place, who we were, and what kind of pharmacy we wanted to be,” he said.
He describes this disruption also helped him lay the foundation for his business.
Chandrana traces the success behind winning Pharmacy Business of the Year to three pillars: resilience, innovation, and vision.
He explains that the pharmacy stayed and adapted through hardship instead of retreating from the community.
He also introduced a dispensing robot, and data‑led workflows to free up staff for patient care.
“Technology was never about being ahead of the curve. It was about building a pharmacy that works properly today and is still relevant tomorrow.
“Technology helped us move forward, but culture is what kept us grounded.”
A clear vision allowed the pharmacy to expand services, blend NHS and private work, and deepen its role in the community, while a people‑centred, ethical culture kept everything grounded.
He said that community pharmacy doesn’t have to lose its heart in order to evolve.
“Putting patients first, taking customer service seriously, investing in training and people, creating a family‑style environment, keeping knowledge and training up‑to‑date, being transparent and ethical in how we operate.”
He emphasises that no pharmacy succeeds in isolation, and that clarity about the future comes from asking better questions, planning early, and being honest about what the next chapter should look like - so that pharmacy can evolve deliberately, with integrity, and continue to matter to its communities.
