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Dame Jenny Harries, former chief medical officer for England and founding chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, has been appointed as the new chair of Community Pharmacy England (CPE).
Harries takes over as chair of the community pharmacy negotiator on 1 September 2025, where she will lead the CPE committee and support the organisation’s governance, strategic delivery and stakeholder engagement.
On the same day, she also begins her role as honorary professor at the University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy.
Harries will replace the outgoing Sue Killen, who completed her term of office as chair of CPE at the end of August 2025.
Harries has previously worked in clinical, public health and commissioning settings, as well as served on the UK’s Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation.
“[I’m] really excited to be working so closely with community pharmacy,” Harries said.
“Pharmacies were critical stakeholders during my time in local public health teams; and they are uniquely placed to provide care and support to those in the most deprived communities and with the most health need. We saw clearly just how critical the hard work of pharmacy owners and their teams was to achieving our national healthcare goals through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The huge potential for a supported and sustainable community pharmacy sector to play a key role in the delivery of national prevention and public health initiatives is being recognised as never before. I am keen to help nurture the sector, the professionals within it and the undoubted opportunities for improvements in health.”
Janet Morrison, chief executive of CPE, thanked Killen for her work and commitment, adding: “I am delighted to welcome Professor Harries to CPE and am looking forward to working closely with her. She will be an excellent addition to the [CPE] committee, bringing her extensive knowledge and experience to bear in our goal of securing a sustainable future for community pharmacy in challenging times.”
Paul Bennett, chief executive of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, commented: “We congratulate Professor Dame Jenny Harries on her appointment as chair of CPE, and we look forward to working closely with her.”
On 27 August 2025, CPE revealed the results of a poll that showed around 60% of pharmacy owners expect to reduce staff headcount in 2025.
The negotiator has also asked the community pharmacy sector to share its views on what the next ‘Community pharmacy contractual framework’ should look like.
