Mark Koziol
Chairman, PDA
Mark Koziol established the PDA in 2003. An Aston graduate qualifying as a pharmacist in 1984, Mark established PPLS a locum agency which prior to its sale in 2003 operated in eight countries. Mark was a founder of the Young Pharmacists’ Group in 1985 and was instrumental in raising £250,000 in donations to establish the multi-award-winning not-for-profit Social Enterprise YPG pharmacy. This pioneering practice laboratory benefits the local community and the wider profession. Elected to the RPSGB Council in 1997, his close proximity to the ‘peppermint water’ case prompted him to stand down and establish the PDA.
Mark is a member of the Employed Pharmacist of the European Union (EPhEU) Executive Committee.
Paul Day
Director, PDA & PDA Union
Paul Day has been involved in Trade Unions at the national level since the mid-1990s. His background in membership organisations includes serving as Deputy General Secretary of the Association of Teachers & Lecturers, Chairman of the Abbey National Group Union and Chief Operating Officer at the Business Disability Forum.
Paul’s early career was in general insurance and retail banking until he moved into the not-for-profit sector to combine his his management skills with his passion for the voluntary sector and public service. He has been part of the governing bodies of a number of not-for-profit organisations and served on four local authorities, including being a cabinet member on a unitary authority and Mayor of his home town.
Paul joined PDAU in 2017 to manage our trade union activity and later that year also became the Director of PDA. He is a member of the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) Executive Committee, a Trustee of Unions 21, Vice-Chair of his local Healthwatch organisation and a Trustee of Pharmacist Support.
Alison Jones
Director of Policy
Alison has worked in the pharmacy and healthcare sector for over 18 years, predominantly in government affairs and policy for LloydsPharmacy, Celesio UK and latterly McKesson UK. This work included leading on consultations across a broad range of policy areas, developing strategic stakeholder engagement plans and working with trade and representative bodies. Prior to her healthcare roles, Alison worked in the public sector for a police authority and the Department of Employment, now known as the Department of Work and Pensions.
Alima Batchelor
Head of Policy, PDA
Alima Batchelor is the Head of Policy at the PDA and has spent the past 17 years working in primary care. Alima started her career in hospital pharmacy, spending her pre-registration year at Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham followed by a year at Ealing Hospital in London. Alima then returned to Birmingham and worked in community pharmacy for several years including stints at Lloyds Pharmacy and Boots.
Alima spent 5 years at Sandwell General Hospital gaining experience in elderly care, theatres, ICU, TPN and cancer services before taking on several roles in primary care which culminated in four years as Head of Medicines for Birmingham South Central CCG.
Mark Pitt
Director of Defence Services, PDA & General Secretary PDA Union
Mark Pitt spent 20 years working in community pharmacy progressing through various store/area management roles to a senior head office position for one of the pharmacy multiples. Mark joined the PDA shortly after it was formed and was an Assistant General Secretary of the PDA Union from 2008 to 2023. From 1 April 2023 he became the PDA Union’s General Secretary. Mark also sits as a lay member for the Employment Tribunal Service.
Claire Ward
Director of Public Affairs, PDA
Claire Ward is the Director of Public Affairs for the PDA. As a former MP and Government minister (1997 – 2010) Claire understands the value of engaging with policy makers across all parts of the UK to best represent the interests of PDA members. After leaving Parliament, Claire was the CEO of the Independent Pharmacy Federation and Chair of Pharmacy Voice.
Claire brings a thorough knowledge of the pharmacy sector together with an extensive political understanding to this role. In addition to her role at the PDA, Claire is a Non Executive Director on a number of bodies including a foundation hospital trust in Nottinghamshire.
Collette Bradford
Director of Organising and Engagement
Collette began her career in law where she had first-hand experience of union activism being a corporate site representative and organiser for the Accord union (1998). Collette was previously Director of Organising (ATL Section) at the National Education Union (NEU), the UK’s fourth-largest union. At ATL, Collette had progressed from Organiser to National Organiser to Director of Organising. Collette led the organising team and managed the unions’ field-based resources. In addition, Collette supported the activity of the ATL Future network for student teachers and other member networks integrating CPD and organising activity.
Ayah Abbass
President, National Association of Women Pharmacists
In 2022, Ayah was the 49th person to be elected as President since the National Association of Women Pharmacists (NAWP) was founded in 1905 and the second to be in the role since the association became a part of the PDA.
Ayah is the manager at a community pharmacy and a clinical pharmacist at a GP surgery with an independent prescribing qualification. By working through different sectors such as hospital, community, and primary care as well as locuming, Ayah has experienced various issues that can have an impact on pharmacists.
Sima Hassan
President, BAME Pharmacists’ Network
Sima has worked as a community pharmacist for over 18 years. As a member of the BAME pharmacist community she recognises and appreciates the complexities of issues that they face, the scope for further work in this area and the need for wider recognition. Sima’s current leadership role as the Associate Programme Director at Aston University involves leading the teaching, learning and assessment of the MPharm Programme and working with students on Staff Student Committees (SSC) to drive and implement change, which includes work around equality, diversity and inclusion. Other leadership roles include student fitness to Practice Officer and University Disciplinary Board member at both Pharmacy School and University level.
LIAM VOLK
Hospital pharmacist, President of the LGBT+ Network
Liam Volk (he/him) is the lead pharmacist for medicine and anticoagulation at North Devon District Hospital and he has been pushing for greater LGBT+ inclusion in his workplace. When Liam was on secondment as an Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA) configuration analyst, he successfully implemented a coding change that ensured patient labels were representative of a patient’s gender identity, as opposed to the gender marker associated with their NHS number. Liam also has experience as a pharmacist in both community and hospital settings in England and Wales.
Paul Moloney
National Officer, PDA Union
Paul joined the PDA union in 2020 having worked for 8 years at a senior level in the Society of Radiographers, overseeing the unions team of national and regional negotiating officers. He led on pay and reward policy for the SoR and played a significant role in developing and implementing the groundbreaking three-year pay deal for NHS workers in 2018.
Prior to that, Paul worked as Assistant General Secretary for Nautilus International representing Merchant Navy Captains and Officers bringing together negotiating officials in the UK and the Netherlands.
Throughout his career, Paul has specialised in pensions issues having been a trustee of the Merchant Navy Officers pension scheme and is currently a member of the NHS Pension Board. Outside of work, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.