Alliance Healthcare and Alphega Pharmacy are proud to congratulate this year’s winner,
Maddyson Chan, a fourth year student currently studying Pharmacy at Cardiff University. She
successfully pitched her idea to launch a new private service that community pharmacy could
implement to create a new revenue stream.
The BPSA (British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association) is an organisation who work to
enhance the experience of its members by inspiring them to invest in their development, seize
opportunities and become advocates for the profession. This competition is one example of
that. It allows students to be innovative and explore the business aspect of pharmacy, whilst
building confidence and winning prizes. The BPSA teams up with sponsors, such as Alliance
Healthcare and Alphega Pharmacy, to deliver such fantastic opportunities.
The final was held virtually on Tuesday 22nd September, 2020, with four students competing via
Zoom, due to current Covid-19 restrictions and saw the culmination of three rounds of
presentations over the past 11 months from over 50 students.
Despite the lack of face-to-face contact, the four finalists performed incredibly well and a great
rapport was built with the judging panel. The panel consisted of Mike Smith, Non-executive
advisor Alliance Healthcare, Sue Dobson, Alphega Pharmacy Business Mentor, and Vinay
Patel, Alphega Pharmacy Services and Contract Manager. The event was coordinated by Bella
Shah, a fourth year Pharmacy student at Cardiff University and a member of the BPSA
Executive Team, and Lorna Kimberley, Senior MarComms Manager at Alliance Healthcare.
Mike Smith, Non-executive advisor Alliance Healthcare UK, says: “As usual the presentations
were of the highest quality. They all demonstrated a “thinking out of the box” approach and
applied digital technology. The future of our profession is safe in the hands of these very
motivated young students.”
Maddyson Chan, winner of this year’s event, comments: “I am so grateful for the opportunity to
take part in the competition. Hearing feedback from peers who had previously competed
inspired me to give it a go, and I would encourage everyone else to try it too!”
Alliance Healthcare has supported the BPSA for over ten years, and senior members from the
BPSA committee visited the Alliance Healthcare Support Office in Chessington in January.
They spent time with Julian Mount, Managing Director, and his team, including Neil Scobie,
Head of Member Offer and Engagement Alphega Pharmacy. The students also enjoyed a tour
of the local Alliance Healthcare Chessington Service Centre.
Alliance Healthcare will continue sponsoring, and working in partnership with the BPSA during
2021 and look forward to seeing the positive difference our young pharmacists make in this
challenging world.