The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has announced the election of 14 board members to help govern the association over the next two years, including four new individuals.

It comes after five previous members left the board after serving their terms and at a time when the NPA is transitioning to a new board structure.

Among those newly elected is Sri Kanaparthy, who qualified as a pharmacist in 2007 and has been a pharmacy owner since 2013. He will be representing the North of England on the NPA board and describes himself as ‘a strong advocate of community pharmacy who strives hard to get the sector the recognition it deserves’, the NPA said.

Meanwhile, Sukhi Basra, an independent pharmacy contractor of more than 15 years, will serve the areas of London and Kent.

Ms Basra, who was also a respiratory lead in a GP practice and a lead pharmacist at a primary care network, describes herself as ‘a keen advocate for championing the community pharmacy sector’. She also wants to ‘share ideas, diversity of thought and experience through female representation’, noted the NPA.

In addition, Salim Jetha, proprietor of an independent community pharmacy, has also been elected to represent the board in London and Kent. He is one of the founding members of Avicenna Pharmacy and was its chief executive until it was sold in 2019.

And Sanja Ganvir, a practising pharmacist of 29 years and director and superintendent pharmacist at Green Light Pharmacy Group, will represent the South of England on the NPA board.

The NPA said the period of April 2023 to March 2025 will ‘see the completion’ of a transition to a new board structure.

Gareth Jones, returning officer for the NPA board elections, said: ‘The NPA has undertaken a process of significant modernisation of organisational governance over the past years.’ This included ‘reforming the structure of the board and introducing term limits’, he added.

He explained that the process of electing board members had been changed so that half of the board would be up for election every two years. Mr Jones said this supported ‘continuity’ and also ‘reduces the risk of a loss of organisational memory’.

Meanwhile, in March 2025, anyone that has served 12 years or more will be required to stand down.

In light of five members standing down from the board at the end of the last term, the NPA said three individuals were co-opted onto the board.

The NPA board, will meet on 24 April to elect the chair and other appointments.

The full list of the new NPA Board is as follows:

  • Raj Aggarwal (two-year appointment)
  • Jay Badenhorst (two-year appointment)
  • Sukhvir Basra (four-year appointment)
  • Ian Cubbin (two-year appointment)
  • Phil Galt (two-year appointment)
  • Sanjay Ganvir (two-year appointment)
  • Michael Guerin (two-year appointment)
  • Salim Jetha (four-year appointment)
  • Sri Kanaparthy (four-year appointment)
  • Nick Kaye (four-year appointment)
  • Andrew Lane (two-year appointment)
  • Sanjeev Panesar (four-year appointment)
  • Raj Patel (two-year appointment)
  • Olivier Picard (four-year appointment)