The new chair will take over the role when Mr Clarke’s term ends in spring next year, and will be required to work three days a week. They will be employed on a three-year term, with the possibility of reappointment up to a maximum of eight years. They will be paid a salary of £60,000 per annum.

Announcing the move today (July 7), the GPhC said the new chair would have “an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of pharmacy”. The recruitment process opened this week and will run until 12pm on August 2, and the regulator is seeking applications from both lay and registrant candidates.

The chair selection panel, chaired by Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons president Mandisa Greene, will recommend an appointment to the GPhC privy council – a body external to the regulator charged with making appointments.

In a statement, Mr Clarke said: “The experiences of the last year have highlighted to many people something of which the council was already aware – that pharmacy is a rapidly changing and developing profession with increasing clinical responsibilities and opportunities.

“The council needs to be alive to the changes and anticipating how they will impact on patients, the professions and how they are regulated,” he added.

What is the GPhC looking for?

In the applicant brief, the regulator said it is looking for an “inspirational leader with the qualities needed to take the GPhC through the next phase of its development”.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate, among other things, that they have the ability to chair “a complex and high-profile organisation” and “effective decision making, interpreting complex information, identifying key issues, handling diverse perspectives and conflicting views, bringing those views together to build consensus”.

The brief also stipulates that candidates must show a “commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion – dealing with people and issues honestly, fairly and with respect, and promoting equality, valuing diversity and being inclusive”.

An offer is expected to be made to the new appointee by November this year.