High Flying Mandy Secures Dream Job

A graduate from Wolverhampton who was given her start on the career ladder at a local pharmacy has been promoted to a manager.

Mandy Ghataore, age 24 from Tettenhall, has been appointed Pharmacy Manager at The Midcounties Co-operative Pharmacy on Chapel Street, Walsall, following four years with the Society.

She first joined Midcounties as a pharmacy student in 2008, whilst studying at Keele University in Staffordshire, and stayed with the business to complete her pre-registration year before qualifying as a pharmacist in 2011. Mandy then started full time as a Relief Manager, which required her to travel around the Wolverhampton and Walsall region supporting pharmacists in store who deal with the sales of popular products including hay fever remedies, vitamins and minerals.

When a position for Pharmacy Manager became available in her local Walsall branch, Mandy was ready to step up and challenge herself once again.

Mandy said: “I’m thrilled to have been given the opportunity to become Pharmacy Manager. Midcounties has been with me throughout my journey of becoming a pharmacist and I wouldn’t have the skills and knowledge I have now if it wasn’t for their ongoing support.

“It’s also great to be given this position during the International Year of Co-operatives, which is all about working together to build a better future. Being part of that is very special because it’s that philosophy that made me want to be a pharmacist in the first place. I always wanted to work in medicine but was keen to be involved with people, so this job is a perfect fit.”

Craig Williamson, Midcounties’ Operations Manager, said: “Mandy has shown a great level of commitment and enthusiasm for what she does so she is fully deserving of her new role.

“It’s been great to see her grow from her student days into a well-respected team member that both management and her colleagues look up to.”

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The Midcounties Co-operative has its headquarters in Warwickshire, with trading outlets in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Shropshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire and the surrounding counties.

The Society’s trading groups are food retail, funeral, travel, pharmacy, childcare nurseries, employee benefits and energy. The Midcounties Co-operative is the largest independent co-operative society in the UK and has more than 470 branches, and 245,000 active trading members. It has recently been ranked in The Sunday Times Best 100 Companies To Work For list.

The Society's mission statement is 'To be a successful consumer co-operative working towards creating a better, fairer world, and to enhance the lives of our colleagues, members, customers, and the communities we serve'.

For more details call Sarah Stevenson at Seal on 0121 616 5800.

Visit www.midcounties.coop

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives, highlighting the contribution of co-operatives to socio-economic development, particularly their impact on poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration. The Year will highlight the strengths of the co-operative business model as an alternative means of doing business and furthering socio-economic development.