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Gourlay and Kirit Patel Lead Speaker Line-up

Boots’ boss Alex Gourlay is one of several industry leaders confirmed to address delegates at the C+D Keynote Conference at this year’s Pharmacy Show. Gourlay is acknowledged by retail analysts as the unsung hero of health and beauty giant Boots. While Alliance Boots executive chairman Stefano Pessina is the company’s face, Gourlay can be credited with grasping the opportunities private ownership has given the chain, and breaking new ground. Gourlay, who is now Chief Executive of Alliance Boots Health and Beauty division is a company ‘lifer’ and is credited with the dramatic rise of Boots’ sales and has driven the rebranding of more than 1,000 Alliance pharmacies into the ‘Your Local Boots Pharmacy’ fascia. He is credited with improving customer service in its stores by re-energising and motivating staff. Gourlay also overhauled the entire Boots supply chain operation, resulting in a stateof- the-art warehouse at its Nottingham HQ. One of pharmacy’s most celebrated and respected entrepreneurs, Day Lewis chairman and founder Kirit Patel MBE will give a frank assessment of Lansley’s NHS reforms and the opportunities and threats to pharmacy business owners. Patel will also focus on the future of pharmacy in his 45-minute presentation in the Pharmacy Business Accelerator programme. Meanwhile the two main negotiators of the Pharmacy contract – Pharmaceutical Negotiating Services Committee(PSNC) Chief Executive Sue Sharpe and the NHS Employers organisation lead negotiator Felicity Cox – will also be delivering important presentations on the contract negotiations and the opportunities for pharmacy that comes with it in the C+D Keynote Conference. The two negotiators last month brought together for the first time GPs, academics, patients’ groups to discuss and seek input on the implementation of the new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework and specifically the New Medicine Service and targeted MURs.   

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