Bayer’s Mike Knowland named new PAGB president

He will help advance PAGB's self-care agenda, championing greater access to OTC medicines and community pharmacy involvement

Mike Knowland, general manager for Northern Europe at Bayer, has been appointed President of PAGB, the UK’s leading consumer healthcare association.

Having served as PAGB vice-president since December 2022, Knowland brings extensive experience in senior roles.

He joined Bayer as sales director in September 2019 and was promoted to the UK lead for Bayer's Consumer Health division in July 2021. Since October 2023, he has been the General Manager for Northern Europe – covering the UK, Ireland, Nordics & Benelux.

Prior to Bayer, Knowland held various senior commercial, marketing and supply chain directorship roles at large multinational organisations including Unilever, Philips and Coty.

Expressing excitement on his appointment, Knowland said: “I am really looking forward to working with the PAGB in this highly strategic role.”

“PAGB is the key champion for self-care in the UK, which aligns to our Bayer global vision of ‘Health for All, Hunger for None’ and efforts to drive greater access to health and self-care.”

Knowland also pointed out that self-care is gaining recognition among national policymakers in government and NHS England, and sees this as “an exciting time” to advocate for greater support for self-care, which can alleviate the demand for GP appointments while saving primary care time and NHS money.

Michelle Riddalls, CEO of PAGB, expressed her enthusiasm about Knowland joining as president, highlighting that his wealth of experience and insight “will be enormously valuable as we work towards improving access to self-care in the UK.”

Riddalls noted that community pharmacy plays an integral part in widening access to over-the counter (OTC) medicines and providing solid, professional support in treatment options and education in self-care across communities.

“As a PAGB Board member since 2021, and more recently vice-president, Mike understands this environment very well and can help drive the self-care agenda forward,” she added.

Mike’s appointment coincides with the launch of PAGB’s new five-year strategy, which outlines an ambitious vision for the UK to become a leader in consumer healthcare.

Knowland stressed the need to keep “making the noise and driving the awareness of self-care” to equip and empower healthcare professionals and society.”

Furthermore, he emphasised the importance of promoting education around the valuable role that community pharmacy plays and using digital information tools to help bridge learning gaps.

“Industry also has a role to play as partners in delivering healthcare information directly to consumers,” he added.

Riddalls observed that although awareness of the benefits of self-care for both consumers and the health service has increased, there is still “significant room for improvement.”

She revealed that PAGB's focus for 2025 and beyond will be to support the government’s manifesto commitments to ease the pressure off GP surgeries by “improving access to services and treatment through new routes and to expand the role of self-care, with pharmacy playing a pivotal role here.”

“Fixing the “broken” NHS – is essential for the future of our health and wellness as a nation and that’s why widening access to OTC medicines and empowering people to self-care are a priority and the key to the success of the 10-year healthcare plan the government is rolling out,” she added.