Please explore our biographies below: Amy Laflin President Amy has worked within APTUK since 2018 where she has held roles including National Officer - Foundation Frameworks, Director of Education and Vice President. Amy has worked in Pharmacy since 2005 in a variety of sectors, all of which led her to academia and her passion for developing and implementing pharmacy courses to support an inclusive and diverse workforce that aims to ensure the safety of medicines for patients and our society. Having moved into an academic role in 2013, Amy now works at West Suffolk College, part of the Eastern Education group. Since 2019 Amy has led on the implementation of Science Manufacturing Technicians and Science Manufacturing Process operatives within technical services. Gail Hall Vice President Gail Hall has dedicated her career to championing pharmacy technicians and creating opportunities for growth. She has worked to support all sectors, including aseptic services, community pharmacy, hospital and primary care and now leads workforce strategy for Joined Up Care Derbyshire. With over 25 years’ experience designing pharmacy technician education and training across the UK, Gail ensures programmes reflect the needs of those working in all four nations. She also shapes experiential learning at De Montfort University. Gail holds a doctorate focused on pharmacy technician experiences of revalidation and uses her research expertise to influence policy and strengthen our voice nationally. A long-standing APTUK Fellow and volunteer, Gail believes in collaboration, inclusion and practical solutions that make a real difference. Rebecca Bastable Membership Director Rebecca Bastable has worked within pharmacy for 26 years, and as qualified pharmacy technician for 15 years. She has worked in a variety of roles, across different pharmacy sectors including acute hospital, community pharmacy, the BNF, and in an integrated role. As the NHS England Pharmacy Technician Programme Lead for the South East, she helps to support and grow the pharmacy technician and pharmacy support staff workforce by supporting employers, ensuring there is a robust educational infrastructure in place, as well as governance and quality assurance processes. Rebecca is passionate about building a sustainable pharmacy technician workforce, ensuring they are appropriately trained and supported, allowing them to have the knowledge and skills to provide a service which supports patients care throughout their journey. Card Title Card Text Philip Jones Education Director Philip Jones has worked in Pharmacy for over 20 years, starting in community pharmacy in Abergavenny, South Wales before making the move to work in technical services in 2001, at Bath ASU based in Bath University. He then started working in the Parenteral Services Unit at UHBristol and Weston Foundation Trust, where he became a senior Pharmacy Technician and Training Lead. Achievements in this role have been, helping to organise and run the initial covid vaccination hub in UHBW, becoming a registered Product Approver for PN and completing the PTQA Post Graduate Diploma in 2023. Phillip is now part of the Pharmacy Workforce Development South team as Programme Director for all Technical Services programmes, and in this role has the privilege of being involved in other projects which involve Supervisory Skill training for TSET/Leeds University, and national aseptic projects like the recent review of the EL Audit on behalf of APTUK, as well as being involved in the Infusions and Special Medicines Board Workforce Strategy project, and supporting the re-launch of the APTUK Technical Services Branch. Alishah Lakha Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Alishah has been a qualified pharmacy technician since 2004, with experience across primary care, acute, mental health, and private healthcare sectors. She currently works for NHS England as a Regional Pharmacy and Medicines Project Manager, specialising in antimicrobial stewardship, workforce development, and professional leadership. Alishah chairs the East of England Regional Pharmacy Technician Leadership Group and is a member of the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Expert Advisory Forum for Pharmacy Technician Practice. Alishah has a keen interest in addressing health inequalities and has worked in this area to support fairer, more inclusive systems for patients. She is passionate about developing the role of the clinical pharmacy technician and contributes to key national discussions, advocating for fairness, inclusion, and diversity within the pharmacy workforce. She holds a professional qualification in Leadership and Management, and her research achievements include published work supporting the advancement of pharmacy technician practice. Vicky Hope Operations Lead Vicky’s background is founded on a business studies degree and throughout her career she has gained extensive commercial operational experience including customer/client service, process development and implementation, marketing, and team leadership, primarily in service orientated businesses. Vicky has been working in the healthcare arena since 2011, which has provided a keen interest in the rapidly changing patient care landscape. Vicky works as the Operations Lead for APTUK, the purpose of which is to oversee the leadership and management of APTUKs professional business operations and to support the development and setting of the strategic direction, including key objectives, priorities, and goals. Card Title Card Text Louise Kasparian Business Development and Communications Lead Louise has worked within the pharmacy sector since 2002, starting in community pharmacy then onto specials manufacturing and later in technical services. Louise started working in hospital pharmacy 18 years ago and qualified as a Pharmacy Technician in 2012. Upon registration she began working in a medicine's optimisation role within mental health across Devon. Louise changed roles in 2021 to join a PCN where she had a key role in the Covid-19 vaccination programme and created a collaborative working approach within primary care, focusing on patient safety. Louise also holds a role with Pharmacy Workforce Development South as a Programme Support Officer, supporting learners through a variety of medicines optimisation programmes. In 2024 Louise graduated from the University of Exeter, with a degree in Responsible Business Management. Lynn Ali Membership Coordinator and Secretariat Lynn has worked as the Membership Coordinator for APTUK since taking early retirement. Lynn initially worked as a community Pharmacy Technician for a large multiple pharmacy chain, and later worked as the Area Pharmacy Administrator covering 50 stores, with the same company. She completed 38 years in total within community pharmacy. Lynn has been a career long supporter of APTUK, joining as a student member and was an early registrant with the GPhC when it was launched. As the APTUK leadership structure evolved, and following the significant investment in the website, Lynn’s role expanded to include Secretariat work and support with the financial processes. Lynn values being part of the Executive Committee, supporting it in a variety of ways, whilst still maintaining her focus on helping members with all queries around their membership payments & website access. Lynn’s priority is accurately maintaining APTUK members’ records and interacting with as many members as possible. Trudy Krysta Professional Lead, England Trudy has been a Pharmacy Technician for 25 years and has a background in community, Ministry of Defence but predominantly in the acute setting. She is currently the Responsible Person and Professional Lead for Pharmacy Technicians and part of the Senior Leadership Team at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust where she has worked for more than 20 years. During her time at UHP Trudy has been involved in almost all areas of Pharmacy including medicines optimisation, procurement, digital, supply and commercial and regulatory activity. In 2022 Trudy was the first pharmacy technician to be selected to be part of the Chief Pharmaceutical Officers Leadership Development Programme. Card Title Card Text Warren Francis Professional Lead, Northern Ireland Warren has worked in pharmacy since 1998, gaining experience across both community and hospital settings before specialising in Pharmacy ICT, automation, and reporting. More recently, he has played a key role in the encompass programme in Northern Ireland. He initially worked on the build team as a Senior Analyst, before moving into his current role as encompass Business Change Manager for the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust. The encompass programme has successfully delivered a fully integrated digital care record across health and social care in Northern Ireland. This represents the first time a country has implemented a single Epic electronic health record system across acute, ambulatory, mental health, social care, community services, and prison healthcare. This transformation has enabled more integrated care pathways, improved continuity of care, and replaced many paper-based and legacy systems—fundamentally changing how care is delivered across the region. Warren has been actively involved with Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK since 2019, initially serving as the Northern Ireland National Officer. In this role, he has contributed to advancing regulatory change to support the recognition of pharmacy technicians as a registered profession in Northern Ireland, aligning with the rest of the UK. Significant progress has now been made towards professional registration, and Warren continues to support this work as APTUK Professional Lead for Northern Ireland, motivated by the opportunities this will create for the future pharmacy technician workforce. Karine Loudon Professional Lead, Scotland Karine Loudon is an experienced Pharmacy Technician who has worked across acute, primary care, and education roles. She is currently the Lead Pharmacy Technician for the General Practice Clinical Pharmacy Service in NHS Tayside, where she supports professional leadership, governance, workforce development, and service improvement. Karine values collaboration and is committed to creating supportive learning environments through clinical supervision, peer review, and training initiatives. As a former Chair of the APTUK/NPTGS Scotland Branch, she has contributed to national education and development workstreams. She remains dedicated to supporting colleagues and advancing the pharmacy technician profession across Scotland. Kate Gardiner Professional Lead, Wales Kate has been a registered pharmacy technician since 2010 and is the Regional Manager for Knights Pharmacy covering Cardiff and Penarth. She sits on the Pharmacy Delivering a Healthier Wales (PDaHW) board and is an active member of the working group delivering seamless pharmaceutical care. In 2024, Kate was recognised by APTUK as the Community Pharmacy Technician of the Year. As APTUK Professional Lead for Wales, Kate works to influence policy, strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders, and promote the strategic aims of APTUK. Kate is passionate about representing and supporting pharmacy technicians across Wales, ensuring our voices help shape national priorities and professional practice. She is committed to engaging with members to ensure their views are represented at national level and to encourage wider professional involvement. Through collaboration and leadership, Kate aims to support the continued development, recognition, and influence of pharmacy technicians within healthcare across Wales. Card Title Card Text Elspeth Clarke Branch Liaison and Events Executive Elspeth has spent 12 years building a career in pharmacy, with 10 of those as a qualified pharmacy technician. Over the years, she has gained experience across Community Pharmacy and Dispensing Doctors’ practices, giving her a well‑rounded understanding of patient needs. For the past 6 years, Elspeth has worked as a Civilian Pharmacy Technician with the Ministry of Defence. Her role is a blend of hands‑on dispensing and innovative patient care, and she is proud to be the first pharmacy technician within the MOD to take on the management of a group of patients living with a chronic disease. It’s a responsibility she approaches with a genuine desire to improve patient outcomes. Elspeth is passionate about shaping the future of the profession. She is driven by the belief that pharmacy technicians play a vital role in healthcare, and she is committed to supporting and inspiring those entering the field, as well as those months or years into their career. Her recent year as a Member Observer on the APTUK executive committee has only strengthened that commitment, giving her the chance to contribute to national conversations and advocate for her colleagues across the UK. Diane Torry Editor Diane has been a qualified Pharmacy Technician for 35 years, working mainly in the Southwest of England. She currently works as a medicines optimisation pharmacy technician with Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust working across both mental and physical health wards including older adults mental health and stroke rehabilitation. Diane is looking forward to working with the rest of the editorial team to produce the Pharmacy Technician Journal. Card Title Card Text Member Observers 2026 Suzanne Bhagwanji Chamene Hicks Andrew Jell Lynda Kelley (Shaw) Hannah Todd Hospital Sector Clinical Trials Hosptial Sector Community Pharmacy Integrated Care Board Members Observers hold a 12-month term within the Executive Committee. For 2026 we are fortunate to have five Member Observers who all work across a variety of sectors, each bringing difference experiences to their role with APTUK. They will gain insight into the APTUK's strategic work, contribute to key discussions and help ensure our work reflects the needs of our members. Card Title Card Text Card Title Card Text Card Title Card Text Editorial Assistants Umar Chowdhury Emma Green Caroline Reid Rajesh Shahapure Sharmila Sriharan Prison Pharmacy Integrated Care Board Hospital Manufacturing Unit Hospital Pharmacy Hospital Sector Editorial Assistants support the production of the Pharmacy Technician Journal (PTJ) by coordinating schedules and deadlines, developing and editing content, and working closely with the Editor and the Executive Committee. They ensure high-quality, relevant articles are published in the PTJ for all members. 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