Industry leader Mark Smith appointed National Pharmacies CEO

Business and retail industry leader Mr Mark Smith has been appointed as National Pharmacies new Chief Executive Officer and will take up the role from July 28.

Mr Smith replaces Mr Vito Borrello who leaves National Pharmacies after 12 years including nearly six years as CEO.

National Pharmacies’ Chairman, Ms Pauline Carr thanked and congratulated Mr Borrello for overseeing an extraordinary period of change since he took over the CEO role in 2019.

“Under Vito’s strong leadership, National Pharmacies provided uninterrupted and quality healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, navigated significant government policy changes, and negotiated new pharmacy and wholesale medicine agreements,” said Ms Carr.

“He also made National Pharmacies a key contributor to expanding our scope of practice in South Australia with 24/7 community healthcare at our Norwood store and led us to become major sponsor of the National Pharmacies’ Christmas Pageant.”

Mr Smith, who is currently Viva Energy Retail’s Chief Operating Officer, has held senior positions with major Australian and international retailers. He started his career with UK supermarket giant Tesco, which incorporate pharmacies and optical services into many of their stores.

He moved to Australia in 2016 where he took up senior operations management roles for Woolworths and Coles in Perth and Sydney, before relocating to Adelaide in 2021 to join OTR as Chief Operating Officer.

At OTR and more recently under Viva Energy, Mr Smith has played a key role in the transformation and growth of the business with a focus on customer value and experience, market differentiation and employee engagement.

Ms Carr said the Board is delighted that Mark Smith would lead National Pharmacies into a new era for the organisation including the opportunities arising from the expansion of the scope of practice for pharmacies.

“Throughout his career, Mark has put the customer first by leading and supporting his teams to deliver exceptional value, service and experiences, while evolving to meet customers’ changing needs,” said Ms Carr.

“The pharmacy sector in Australia has seen rapid change over the past decade. More than ever, the community is seeking not only dispensary services from their local pharmacy, but also expert wellbeing and health advice and an exceptional customer experience.

“Mark will lead National Pharmacies’ efforts to create even greater value for our members and customers by giving them more reasons to visit, whether for prescription medication, specialist health and wellbeing services, vaccinations, beauty treatments or optical services.”