Three pharmacy professionals have been recognised in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours List, for contributions ranging from regulatory leadership to pioneering work in sports pharmacy and pharmacy education in Wales.
Gisela Abbam, who has chaired the General Pharmaceutical Council since March 2022 and was reappointed for a second term in February 2025, was awarded an OBE for services to the pharmacy professions and health. GPhC chief executive Kathie Cashell called the award richly deserved, crediting Abbam with helping to empower pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to deliver trusted, effective care. Abbam said it was a great honour to be recognised by the King, adding that improving people's health, both in Britain and globally, had been the priority throughout her career. She previously held senior roles at PerkinElmer and GE Healthcare.
Mark Stuart, an honorary associate professor at UCL's Division of Medicine, received an OBE for services to the pharmacy profession in sport and to anti-doping. Stuart has spent more than 25 years building the field of sports pharmacy, having led pharmacy services at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and managed provision for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He sits on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List Expert Group and chairs the European Olympic Committees' Medical and Anti-Doping Commission.
Professor Margaret Allan, who recently retired as pharmacy dean at Health Education and Improvement Wales, was awarded an MBE for services to pharmacy. Allan became the first person to hold the role shortly after HEIW's creation in 2018.