Date published:
25 July 2025

Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt has announced the reappointment of four Council Members to the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Brendan Garland, Philip Knox and Gary McMurray have been appointed as Lay Members and Scott Gill as a Registrant Member. All four reappointments will commence on 1 August 2025 and will end on a date not later than 31 July 2029.

PSNI Council Members are remunerated by an attendance fee. Attendance at meetings of up to 4 hours duration attracts a fee of £120 and meetings over 4 hours attract a fee of £240. Training and induction days attract a fee of £120. Council Members’ role carries a time commitment equivalent to 12 days per annum.

The procedure for these appointments is not bound by the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland, however, these appointments have been made in the ‘spirit of the Code’.

The PSNI was established by the Pharmacy and Poisons Act (Northern Ireland) 1925 and has been based at 73 University Street, Belfast since 1933. It is the regulatory and professional leadership body for pharmacists in Northern Ireland. Its objectives include, amongst other matters, to advance chemistry and pharmacy and promote pharmaceutical education and the application of pharmaceutical knowledge, while safeguarding the interests of the members in the Society in their exercise of the profession of Pharmacy.

It maintains a register of over 2,900 pharmacists, 364 students and over 538 pharmacy premises across Northern Ireland.

The PSNI Council comprises of 14 Council Members (7 pharmacists/registrant members and 7 lay members).

Notes to editors:

  1. Brendan Garland is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast with B.Ed. Hons Education and MSc in Computer Science and of the University of Ulster with LLB Hons in Law and Government. He has over 40 years of experience in Senior Management and Chief Executive/Director Positions. He spent 10 years with Andersen Consulting/Accenture working in International IT and Management Consulting. For 20 years he was CEO of the General Council of the Bar of Northern Ireland, the regulatory and representative body for barristers in Northern Ireland. He has experience as a CEO/MD and Responsible Person in the HSC sector having worked as CEO for Extra Care for Elderly People Ltd and as Managing Director at Kingdom Healthcare Ltd. Mr Garland has been a Council Member (Lay) of the PSNI since August 2021. He is also a Non-Executive Member (NEM) (Finance) of the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA) where he is Vice-Chairman and Chair of the Audit Committee. This appointment attracts a remuneration of £3,493 per annum with a time commitment of 20 days per annum. In addition, Mr Garland has, since February 2022, been a NEM of the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS). He served as Interim Chair of NIBTS from 1 September 2023 until 22 April 2024 when he was appointed Chair. This appointment attracts remuneration of £8,311 per annum with a time commitment of 2 days per month.
  2. Philip Knox is an experienced organisational development consultant and Chartered Fellow of the CIPD with over 30 years’ leadership experience in policing, regulation, and public service. A former Chief Superintendent in the Police Service of Northern Ireland, he held senior roles in professional standards, learning and development, and strategic planning. His most recent post was Head of Professional Standards and Counter-Corruption, where he led a review of the Code of Ethics and introduced new leadership principles.  Appointed to the Council of the PSNI in August 2021, Mr Knox currently serves as Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.  He brings extensive experience in governance, ethical leadership, and risk oversight, with a strong track record in delivering senior leadership development programmes across the UK, Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Mr Knox holds a BA in Leadership and Management, a Postgraduate Diploma from Queen’s University Belfast, and is a Harvard Kennedy School graduate.
  3. Gary McMurray currently works as a Money and Debt Adviser, on a part-time basis, with Community Advice Craigavon and is also an Independent Member on the Armagh City Banbridge Craigavon Borough Council Performance and Audit Committee. Mr McMurray previously worked for AIB Bank for 35 years across a range of branch and departmental positions including as Regional Manager for the Bank’s branches in the Greater Belfast area. Most recently, he was Head of Governance and Assurance for the Bank’s UK Operations and Business Governance Unit. Mr McMurray holds a BA (Hons) in Business Studies and an MSc in Business Improvement both from the University of Ulster.  He is a former Chair of the Belfast Region of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland and has also served on the Boards of a number of local voluntary organisations. Mr McMurray has been a Council Member (Lay) of the PSNI since August 2021. He holds one other public appointment as a Member of Governing Bodies of Further Education with Southern Regional College.  This appointment attracts remuneration of £250 per meeting and £150 per committee meeting with a time commitment of 1 day per month.
  4. Scott Gill MPharm MSc(ACPP) IP MPS(NI) MAPCPharmgraduated from QUB in 2007 and registered as a pharmacist in 2008 after completing his pre-registration training.  Mr. Gill started his career in Community Pharmacy holding management positions in Scotland and throughout Northern Ireland. In 2016 he completed a PGCert. in Independent Prescribing and started treating patients in GP Practices.  He is currently Lead Pharmacist in Ards Federation of GP Practices.  Mr. Gill focuses on treating patients with long-term conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental health) in particular, those with multiple conditions.  His interest in this area led to a return to QUB to complete an MSc in Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice in 2019.  He has a special interest in persistent pain and is involved in a South Eastern HSC Trust multidisciplinary pain management team to help patients better manage their condition. Mr Gill has been a Council Member (Lay) of the PSNI since August 2021. He is Chair of the South Eastern Local Commissioning Group’s (SELCG) Prescribing & Medicines Management Committee and a School Governor.
  5. Appointments to the PSNI are made by the Minister of Health.
  6. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published.  The appointees have all declared that they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
  7. For media enquiries please contact DoH Press Office by e-mail pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk
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  9. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for Media Enquiries Only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The Duty Press Officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.