Meet John Ly, HPSA Board Member

Meet HPSA Board Member @John Ly. John is the Director of Pharmacy Operations for @Sobeys National Pharmacy Group. He is responsible for the retail operations of in-store pharmacies for multiple Sobeys banners in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.

 John has been with Sobeys Inc. since 2011. His career at Sobeys has included positions as Pharmacy District Manager and Pharmacy Manager. Aside from retail pharmacy, John’s professional experience has touched areas of long-term care and home care pharmacy. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Health Products Stewardship Association and is also a Caucus Member for the Neighborhood Pharmacy Association of Canada. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto. He most recently shared his experiences and thoughts on how pharmacies handled the pandemic and are an important channel for vaccination in an article honouring Grocery Hero’s Day in the summer edition of Grocery Business Magazine.

 How long have you been an HPSA board member?

Less than 1 year

 What made you decide to become a board member for HPSA?

I believe I can be a valuable member of the board with my experience in community and long-term care pharmacy operations that may be missing from the board. I have a direct line of sight to the end-user (the public) and the administrator (most times the pharmacy) and can provide a unique perspective on serving the vision and mandate of HPSA.

 Which part(s) of HPSA's mission and vision do you align with most?

I personally am very aligned with the mission and vision of HPSA – it actually gets me excited and is something that speaks to me, especially the public awareness piece. I believe that there’s so much more that can be done there and I hope to see that grow to the next level. I also look forward to working with the board to find cost efficiencies in managing end-of-life health products.

 What excites you about being a part of a purpose-driven organization?

What excites me about being part of a purpose-driven organization is the nimbleness to solve tough problems that exist in the current time.

 What is your hope for the future of HPSA?

Continue to collaborate and build strong relationships with key stakeholders not only to harmonize program standards but to create industry-leading solutions that protect the public and help save the environment.