The Platform Alliance Group (PAG) hosted 250 delegates at their Member Summit last week to help members prepare for challenging times ahead. The group brought together all Advantage, Alliance, Chemist Discount Centre and Catalyst members, as well as its supplier sponsors, at the iconic National Wine Centre of Australia in Adelaide, to network and hear from industry thought leaders about the future of pharmacy. Keynote speakers included pharmacy leaders Trent Twomey, Dave Wild, Paul Cross, Natalie Sirianni, Frank Sirianni, Sonia McDonald, Gal Shivtiel and Dennis Bastas who shared their insights and perspectives to help navigate industry uncertainty. PAG CEO Dave Fenlon wrapped up the event saying, “we are really pleased to bring together owners and managers from across the PAG network and allow them to step out of the day-to-day operations of their pharmacy. “We covered a lot over three days from economic headwinds and tailwinds, patient and consumer trends, and initiatives to mitigate 60DD impacts. “We also outlined our consumerled strategies for each of our pharmacy brands and our technology roadmap to better support pharmacies and patients.”

PAG also recognised excellence for its group members at the inaugural Summit Awards. The award winners by category include Retail Manager of the Year awarded to four talented professionals Bec Farquharson from Advantage Pharmacy High Wycombe, Amanda Parker-Perry from Doc’s Newcastle, Inverell Pharmacy’s Alicia Bussell, and Christine McFarlane from Chemist Discount Centre, Wallan. The Pharmacist of the Year awards went to several healthcare professionals including Michael Allen from Advantage Pharmacy Toogoolawah, Akash Mehta from Old Bar Pharmacy, and the dynamic trio Ashleigh Rees, Dave Rees, and Carolyn Girle from Shortis & Timmins Pharmacy, and last but not least Gary Khoo from Chemist Discount Centre. The Pharmacy of the Year Awards were awarded to three top stores – Campbellfield Pharmacy, Advantage Pharmacy High Wycombe, and Narromine Pharmacy. With the prestigious and overall top prize, the PAG Pharmacy of the Year awarded to Chemist Discount Centre Bendigo. Pictured (L-R): Steven Kastrinakis, PAG Founder and pharmacist; Brianne Shephard, PAG Regional Manager NSW/ACT; Amanda Parker-Perry, Retail Manager; and Dave Fenlon, PAG CEO.