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Featured Speakers
​This roundtable brings together influential voices in UK pharmacy: Shilpa Shah, CEO of Northeast London LPC; Reena Barai, Community Pharmacist and Co-founder of the Female Pharmacy Leaders Network; Olivier Picard, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association; Jignesh Patel, Independent Prescribing Pharmacist; and Lauren Reber, Early Careers Training Programme Director at Health Education England. Their collective expertise spans policy, education, leadership, and frontline practice offering a well-rounded perspective on the future of independent prescribing in community pharmacy.
Shilpa Shah
Chief Executive Officer of the Northeast London Local Pharmaceutical Committee
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Shilpa Shah is an experienced, award winning leader in the Community Pharmacy sector. She is a pharmacist and Royal Pharmaceutical Society fellow, who has worked in the Community Pharmacy field for almost 25 years.
She is a Board Advisor and Advocate on the Inclusive Pharmacy Practice Advisory Board. Shilpa also holds senior voluntary positions at several charities, she is a volunteer Director of Branch Operations and a listening volunteer for Samaritans, a volunteer at Pharmacist Support, and a volunteer Healthcare Deputy Manager
at Crisis at Christmas.
Reena Barai
Community Pharmacist, Owner, S.G. Barai Pharmacy, Co-founder, Female Pharmacy Leaders Network
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Reena Barai is an award-winning community pharmacist and owner of S.G. Barai Pharmacy in Sutton, Surrey. With over 20 years of experience, she is a passionate advocate for advancing pharmacy practice and patient-centred care.
A University of London graduate and independent prescriber, Reena has worked across hospital, primary care, and community pharmacy. She has held leadership roles with the National Pharmacy Association,
Community Pharmacy England, and her local NHS teams.
Named Britain’s Best Pharmacist in 2014, she also co-founded the Female Pharmacy Leaders Network and supports national campaigns like #SaveOurPharmacies to sustain vital community services.
Olivier Picard
National Pharmacy Association, Founder & ampersand; CEO, Newsday Pharmacy Ltd and Independent Prescribing Pharmacist
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Olivier Picard is a community pharmacist and independent prescriber with over 25 years of experience. He began his training in France, earning a PhD, and has spent most of his career in the UK. After managing Moss Pharmacy for six years, he founded Newdays Pharmacy Ltd. in 2006, now operating four pharmacies across Berkshire. From 2021 to 2023, he led one of the UK’s largest pharmacy-led Covid-19 vaccination centres. His interests include travel medicine and NHS/private service development. Olivier is Chair of the National Pharmacy Association, a board member since 2018, and a member of Community Pharmacy England. He regularly appears in media and engages with MPs to advocate for the sector.
Jignesh Patel
Independent Prescribing Pharmacist
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Jignesh Patel is an experienced community pharmacist with over 37 years in the field. He was the Pharmacy Proprietor and Director of Rohpharm Ltd, and has held leadership roles such as Vice Chair of the North East London LPC and Joint Chair of the Newham GP and Community Pharmacy Forum. A Travel Clinic Specialist since 2010 and an Independent Prescribing Pharmacist since 2016, Jignesh also co-directed Traveljab Ltd. He currently supports the NHS NEL ICB’s Prescriber Pathfinder Programme on hypertension and lipid management, and serves as Chair of the NEL ICB Pharmacy Provider Group, PCN Lead for Newham Central 1, and Lead Manager for CPNEL.
Lauren Reber
NEL ICB Workforce Project Facilitator
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Lauren Reber is a Clinical Pharmacist at NELFT NHS Foundation Trust and also serves as the Early Careers Training Programme Director for Health Education England’s London & South East region. She has been instrumental in shaping new frameworks for independent prescribing and supporting designated prescribing practitioners, having co-led major scoping surveys and focus groups across the region.
Her work bridges frontline clinical care and strategic workforce development: Lauren drives pharmacist training on independent prescribing, mentoring and supervising early-career professionals across primary and secondary care settings. As a vocal advocate for integrating prescribing competencies into everyday pharmacy practice, she brings both policy insight and hands-on expertise to the Medicines Policy Series.