Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Alex MacKinnon and Aileen Bryson, director and deputy director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in Scotland, respectively, have announced that they plan to retire from the Society in 2020.
MacKinnon has been director for Scotland since 2010, and served as interim chief executive of the Society in 2017.
He said holding the role of director for Scotland was a “distinct privilege”, adding that the decision to retire “has not been an easy one to make, with the pharmacy agenda as complex and challenging as ever”.
MacKinnon offered his thanks to the “wonderful teams, colleagues, and friends across the years who made my pharmacy journey so enjoyable and rewarding”.
Paul Bennett, chief executive of the RPS, said he would like to “recognise and thank Alex for the tremendous contribution he has made to both the RPS and the wider profession over the last ten years as RPS director for Scotland”.
“His dedication to, and passion for, our profession has been evident from the very first day I met Alex and will be sorely missed by all of us who have worked closely with him.”
Bennett added that he 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”.
“Alex will leave a strong legacy in Scotland whilst knowing he departs at a time when his team are focused on supporting our members and placing our profession at the forefront of healthcare.”
Source: Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Aileen Bryson joined the Society in 2010, as Scottish policy and practice lead, before becoming deputy director for Scotland in 2017
Bryson joined the Society in 2010, as Scottish policy and practice lead. In 2017, she became deputy director for Scotland, acting as interim director during MacKinnon’s secondment as RPS chief executive. It had, Bryson said, been a “delight and a privilege to be part of the RPS team”, adding that she took up her 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”.
Bryson thanked her colleagues for “all the support and encouragement” during her time with the Society.
Bryson will leave at the end of April 2020, and MacKinnon will leave later in the year.
