Three RCPharm members take up senior FIP leadership roles
Published: 2 September 2026
Three members of the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) have been elected or ratified to senior leadership positions on the Board of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
Professor Claire Anderson has been elected as a FIP Vice President for 2026–2027, Lars-Åke Söderlund has been elected FIP President-elect for 2026–2027, and Naoko Arakawa has been ratified as FIP Vice President for Operational Education.
All three will take up their positions on 3 September, following elections and ratifications by the FIP Council.
Former Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) President and current Trustee and Senate member of the RCPharm, Professor Claire Anderson is also a current elected member of the RCPharm English Pharmacy Advisory Council. She served as RPS President from 2021 to 2026 and was nominated by RCPharm for her FIP Vice President role.
Lars-Åke will become FIP President from 2027 to 2031, following his term as President-elect. He previously served as a FIP Vice President from 2021 to 2025 and is co-chair of the FIP Technology Advisory Group.
Naoko was the International Lead at the RPS for the UK-Japan collaborative programme between 2016 and 2018. She is currently Associate Professor at the School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, as well as FIP Interim Education Secretary and a global lead for Competency Development of the FIP Hub.
The appointments highlight the depth of expertise and leadership among RCPharm members and their contribution to shaping the future of the profession internationally.
Professor Tracey Thornley, a Fellow of RCPharm and former member of the RPS English Pharmacy Board, has also been awarded Fellowship of FIP.
RCPharm congratulates Claire, Lars-Åke and Naoko on their appointments, as well as Tracey on her Fellowship.
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