Our team

Meet the incredible Pharmacist Support team whose passion keeps the charity running and makes sure we're there to support our pharmacy family.

Pharmacist Support employs a small, but enthusiastic and highly effective, team of 13 members of staff. Our team has many decades of experience between them, and understands the specific challenges and needs faced by our profession. This ensures we can support our pharmacy family in the best possible way, and continue making an impact.

Everyone on the team lives by our charity values, which means that we strive to put people first, create positive impact and deliver on our aspiration as a charity for an empowered and resilient pharmacy workforce. We’re proud to be able to support people from such a caring profession, and we’ll never give up on what we like to call our pharmacy ‘family’.

Meet our team below. Discover how they support the work of the charity, and what makes them buzz outside of work!

 

Meet the Pharmacist Support team!

Meet the Pharmacist Support team!

Danielle Hunt, Chief Executive

Danielle is the Chief Executive of Pharmacist Support. With extensive charity sector experience, she joined the charity in January 2019. Since then, Danielle has led the development and implementation of a new wellbeing focused five-year strategy, working closely with trustees to refocus the charity to ensure that it meets the changing needs of the profession. Danielle is always keen to support charitable activity outside of work, including fundraising for local causes. She also enjoys crafting, gardening, rugby league and spending time with her family.

Kate Westbrook, Marketing and Communications Manager

Kate oversees the marketing, communications and fundraising/partnership activities at the charity. She joined Pharmacist Support back in 2009 having worked for several arts organisations and volunteer programmes and over this time has enjoyed working on the establishment and launch of the charity’s ACTNow wellbeing campaign, Wardley Wellbeing Service, Ambassador scheme, digital offerings and websites, our 175th anniversary activities and parliamentary event. In her spare time Kate enjoys crafting and tackling weeds on her allotment!

Gill Darling, Finance Manager

Gill looks after the charity’s finances and also has responsibility for IT, Data Protection and Health and Safety. A chartered accountant, Gill joined the team in 2018. Her background is in not-for-profit finance, with over twenty years spent in social housing. In the last year she’s overseen the switch to a new Microsoft Dynamics CRM system. Gill writes in her spare time; her debut novel Erringby was published by Fairlight Books in 2021. She’s also a Trustee of Manchester Literature Festival.

Jo Gahan, Services Support Manager

Jo oversees delivery of the charity’s services, central administration and high-level support to the Board. Following time working in a bank and as a stay-at-home mum, Jo joined Pharmacist Support in 2012 as an office administrator. She has since been the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive and started her current role as Services Support Manager in 2021.

Jo has enjoyed working on various projects including recruitment, embedding the administration behind good governance, and developing the bursary scheme. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, feeding the cows in the field at the back of her house and weekend adventures in Anglesey.

Melissa Cochrane, Wellbeing Development Manager

Melissa oversees the charity’s wellbeing offering and volunteer programmes. She joined Pharmacist Support in 2021 to develop the counselling partnership, our online Wellbeing Learning Platform, and to further develop our wellbeing content. Melissa has an extensive background as a counsellor/psychotherapist and has a keen interest in wellbeing and simple practices that can enhance our physical and mental health. In her spare time Melissa enjoys travel, spending time with her family, yoga, and reading a good novel!

Sarah Frangos, Senior Marketing, Communications and Partnerships Officer

After working in the British charity sector and then as a teacher in Italy, Sarah joined Pharmacist Support in 2020. Here, as well as supporting day-to-day comms and partnerships, she leads our digital operations such as our website and newsletters and on our annual ACTNow mental health and wellbeing campaigns. Sarah is passionate about working for causes which create positive impact, and regularly uses her professional experience to volunteer and fundraise for canine rescue shelters in the UK and across Europe. Being a keen traveller, outside of work you’ll find her collecting stamps in her passport!

Rowena Simm, Senior Service Delivery Officer - Grants

Rowena oversees the Financial Assistance service, the Bursary Scheme and the Addiction Support service. She also provides support with Information and Enquiries service taking calls and assisting the team. Rowena joined Pharmacist Support in 2010 after 22 years working in local authority in Human Resources and employee support roles. To relax, Rowena loves nothing more than a daily 5 mile walk with her dog and cycling at the weekend whatever the weather (well almost).

Wendy Mansfield, Senior Service Delivery Officer - Information & Enquiries

Wendy has worked for Pharmacist Support for over ten years. She produces information relating to pharmaceutical procedures and regulation. She also provides support for the Information and Enquiries service, taking calls and assisting clients who are often in challenging situations. To relax, Wendy likes spending time at her allotment and curling up with a good book.

Riven Seamarks, Service Delivery Officer – Information, Enquiries and Wellbeing

Riven works within Pharmacists Support’s information, enquiries and wellbeing services. With a background in charity work, including mental health, Riven joined the charity in 2016. He continues to help many pharmacists, students and trainees, often in very challenging situations, find much needed information and support. He also produces and presents training and workshops. In his spare time Riven enjoys keeping fit, as well as producing and performing music, and putting on charity events.

Martha Harris, Marketing and Communications Officer

In late 2021, Martha joined Pharmacist Support to assist with the charity’s day-to-day marketing and comms, leading on content creation for our social media channels. If she isn’t designing presentations or editing videos for the charity, you will find her at events chatting to members of our pharmacy family about our support services. Outside of work, Martha loves to clear her mind lifting weights in the gym, cook and share her cheap and delicious recipes on her blog!

Diana Chung, Volunteering Officer

Diana joined Pharmacist Support in 2020 and oversees the administration and development of our overall volunteer strategy. Diana has worked in various industries but most recently was project manager for an organisation that helped young people struggling to find their way back into education due social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Her passion is helping people to improve their mental health and she qualified as a counsellor in 2022. In her spare time Diana enjoys being creative, peaceful walks and sunsets and spending time with her family and friends.

Tom Stephenson, Central Support Officer

Tom is the charity’s Central Support Officer and joined Pharmacist Support in 2010. This role supports the work of all departments by maintaining the database and working closely with finance to ensure grants and invoices are paid on time. Tom also helps colleagues with day-to-day IT queries. In the last year he’s worked on implementation of the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM system, which will continue to be developed over the coming year. Tom is a massive nerd and loves everything sci-fi and fantasy. He lives on a smallholding and in his spare time can be found perpetually fixing a tractor.

Shama Lakhani, Office Administrator

Shama has been our office administrator since 2020 and is involved in most areas of the Charity’s work; if there is administrating to be done, she is the go-to!

Her previous experience lies working with College and University students with a disability. Over the years, she has also been heavily involved in various voluntary roles, particularly projects within her local community.
Shama enjoys practicing Qi Gong and meditation regularly and likes to go out for meals and live music.

Read more about who we are and our work

Read more about who we are and our work

About us

As the profession’s independent charity, we strive for a time when no one in our pharmacy family will face challenging times without us by their side. On this page you can find information on the work we do, our team and our strategy, and how we are funded.

Read more about who we are and our work

Our impact

As a forward-thinking charity, we measure our successes and impact every year to ensure our support remains relevant and useful.

Read more about who we are and our work

Support our work

As an independent Charity we rely on the generosity of pharmacists and pharmacy organisations to be able to continue our work – be that as donors or fundraisers, volunteers or supporters.