The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), has elected a new President in the person of Mr Paul Sinclair. The election conducted by the FIP Council on Saturday, 17 September, 2022, saw Sinclair as the first Australian pharmacist to be elected president of the global body of pharmacists.
FIP's Head of Corporate Communications & Advocacy, Ms Lin-Nam Wang, made the disclosure to Pharmanewsonline, stating that Mr Sinclair takes office as president elect from 23 September, 2022, while his four-year term as FIP President will begin in September 2023.
This is coming ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the 80th World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences on Sunday, 18 September, holding in Serville, Spain.
Mr Sinclair, a community pharmacist and former community pharmacy proprietor, has served FIP for a number of years, including as president of its Community Pharmacy Section (2014–18) and chair of FIP’s Board of Pharmaceutical Practice since 2018.
Wang further revealed that Sinclair’s election is historic, being the first pharmacist from Australia to be elected president in the federation’s 110-year history.
Appreciating the good gesture of the FIP Council in electing him as the president, Sinclair said: “I am both excited and humbled to be elected president of FIP and to be the first Australian president reinforces the global reach and importance of our federation. “I look forward to continuing the strong tradition of service to our profession that has defined previous FIP presidents”.
Acknowledging the challenges of COVID-19 in his election statement, Mr Sinclair said that he had taken an active leadership role in adapting and developing FIP’s business and practice models to help the federation both survive and prosper during the pandemic. “I see the challenge ahead as building on our successes over the past two years to make FIP an even stronger and a more member-facing organisation,” he said.
His vision includes that FIP’s membership model has a high value proposition that supports all categories of member and that FIP benefits from diversified income streams that deliver improved financial security, which will enable greater support for members.
He promised that as FIP president, he will advocate for the pharmacy profession “in all its forms”, further advancing pharmacy worldwide and leaving no one behind. “Our smallest member organisation will always be an important cog in the wheel that drives FIP forward,” he stated.
He has also held several officer positions at the Pharmacy Council of New South Wales, the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacists and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, as well as board positions in not-for-profit organisations such as Asthma Australia.
The newly elected FIP President has had extensive experience in local government, serving as both a councillor and mayor of Campbelltown City Council. In 2019, Sinclair was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to pharmacy, the community and local government.
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