Our Professional Officers are experienced pharmacists who provide specialist assistance to our members. Their support lends answers to commonly asked and specific questions regarding the pharmacy occupation.
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John Guy
A Professional Officer with PDL since 2014, John Guy has over 45 years of experience as a registered pharmacist. He is the chair of the Victorian local advisory committee, of which he has been a member since 1987. John has practiced as a consultant pharmacist accredited with AACP, as a locum pharmacist and manager, a mentor in Tasmania and Victoria and was also a pharmacy owner for 27 years. John enjoys supporting PDL pharmacist members who may be dealing with a confronting or difficult situation and reassuring them to keep things in perspective if they have made an error or received a complaint against them.
John Guy
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Gary West
Gary West is a registered pharmacist with over 35 years of experience in the profession. Gary has been a community pharmacy owner, a locum pharmacist and a sessional practitioner at Griffith University School of Pharmacy, tutoring in professional practice courses. Gary has had a long-term involvement with intern training and assessment in Queensland. Gary is one of the PDL Professional Officers and is the Chair of the PDL local advisory committee for Queensland. His areas of interest include student and intern education and assessment, supporting and assisting pharmacists to engage in professional practice and managing complaints and notifications against PDL members. Gary was presented with the PSA(Qld) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Gary West
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Hayley Smilie
Hayley is on the PDL NSW/ACT local advisory committee and is a Professional Officer for PDL. With over 20 years’ experience as a registered pharmacist, Hayley has worked as a manager in a community pharmacy, as a hospital pharmacist, pharmacist preceptor for student placements and national coordinator for a highly regarded intern training program. She has written continuing education, worked as a rural remote Section 100 supply and coordination pharmacist in remote indigenous communities and practiced as a registered pharmacist in Great Britain. Hayley also has extensive experience in risk management and as a risk consultant and is passionate about professional support for pharmacists.
Hayley Smilie
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Jess Hadley
Jess is a registered pharmacist with almost 15 years of extensive experience in community pharmacy. She has been a managing pharmacist, proprietor and group compliance manager. Jess is one of four PDL Professional Officers and is on the Local Advisory Committee for New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Her areas of interest include Schedule 8, vaccination and proprietor legislation. Jess is passionate about supporting and educating pharmacists on risk minimisation and management strategies.
Jess Hadley
PDL Board of Directors
PDL is governed by a Board of Directors, elected by fellow PDL members and represented in each state. The PDL Constitution governs operations which is subject to influence on the consensus of membership feedback and needs.
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Paul Naismith
Chair
Paul was appointed Director of the APPco board in 2009 and Chair in 2013. In 2014, Paul was elected the PDL Director for VIC and in 2017 was appointed the Chair of the PDL Board. He was a partner in a community pharmacy in Melbourne and for the past 29 years Paul has been the Founder and CEO of Fred IT Group.
Paul Naismith
Chair
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Gilbert Yeates
Deputy Chair
Gilbert has over 40 years’ experience as a pharmacist in a diverse range of practice settings and roles. He has managed and owned community pharmacies, been an accredited pharmacist and has lectured in pharmacy practice. As Deputy Chair of PDL he has been involved in many recent advances in pharmacy practice through membership of steering committees including the Queensland Pharmacist Immunisation Pilot (QPIP), the Urinary Tract Infection Pharmacist Pilot (UTIPP-Q) and the current North Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot. Gilbert has extensive experience and expertise in clinical governance and risk management.
Gilbert Yeates
Deputy Chair & Director for Qld
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Celia Sansom
Celia was appointed PDL Director for WA in September 2017. Celia is a Director of the Pharmaceutical Society WA and currently sits on four boards, while also examining the pharmacy oral exams on behalf of PBA. Her areas of expertise include intern training, examining, governance, leadership, investment and mentoring.
Celia Sansom
Director for WA
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Joe O'Malley
Joseph graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1999. After spending several years as a clinical pharmacist in the Victorian hospital system, he moved to Shepparton in regional Victoria. Together with his wife, they spent eight years managing and owning a large shopping centre pharmacy before relocating to Ulverstone, Northern Tasmania. Joseph was appointed PDL Director for TAS in June 2015.
Joe O'Malley
Director for Tas
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Kirstie Galbraith
Kirstie works as the Director of Experiential Development and Graduate Education in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University. Kirstie has been a member of the Victorian Local Advisory Committee since 2009 and became the Director for Victoria in 2017.
Kirstie Galbraith
Director for Vic
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Ian Todd
Ian has more than 20 years’ experience as a member advocate in South Australia and nationally, including being involved in the negotiation and funding of professional practice extension for all pharmacists over the 4th, 5th and 6th Pharmacy Agreements. In particular, he was involved in establishing the rules and implementation of RMMR, Medschecks, HMRs, scholarships for ATSI students, DAA payments and Clinical Interventions. Ian became the Director for SA and the Northern Territory in November 2020.
Ian Todd
Director for SA/NT
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Amanda Galbraith
Amanda was appointed PDL Director for NSW and the ACT in July 2022. She is a high-level executive with experience as a community pharmacist and community pharmacy owner, board director and credentialled diabetes educator. Amanda is Director and FARM Chair of the Australian Pharmacy Council and a Board Director for Marathon Health and the Pharmacists’ Support Service. She is a past Director/National Councilor of the Pharmacy Guild. Amanda has extensive leadership, stakeholder engagement, and finance and risk experience.
Amanda Galbraith
Director for NSW/ACT
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David Brown
CEO
David was appointed CEO of PDL in January 2017 and is a seasoned insurance leader, with over 30 years’ experience in executive positions in both the private and public sector. He is a past Vice-President of the Australian Insurance Association and was CEO of a workers compensation insurance company, Hospitality Employers Mutual. For around 20 years, David was the General Manager of Guild Insurance Limited. A collaborative leader, and a proponent of the values-based leadership model, David has also assisted member-based associations in the health care sector with corporate governance, strategy and risk management reviews.
David Brown
CEO
PDL Local Advisory Committees
Local Advisory Committees (LACs) also operate across all states of Australia. The LACs’ role and duty are to:
Provide a central focus for all PDL member pharmacists in each state.
Inform the Board and Professional Officers of emerging areas of practice within the profession and associated risks for those areas of practice.
Provide feedback from the profession and from their scope of practice.
Support with identification and implementation of risk mitigation strategies.
Support the profession and potentially individual members, such as through mentoring or peer support.
