Professor Mike Mawhinney MBE TD has been appointed as High Sheriff of the County of Down for 2023.  

A former pupil of Kilkeel High School, he went on to complete a Pharmacy degree, a Doctorate in Pharmaceutics and an LLM in Medical Law.  His contribution to medicines regulation and education has been recognised nationally and he has been elected as a Fellow by a number of prestigious bodies including The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs; The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland; and The Faculty of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. He recently gained Chartered Scientist status through the UK Science Council.

He was awarded the Territorial Decoration, was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List, and in the same year was honoured with The Lifetime Outstanding Contribution to the Profession Award by the pharmacy profession.

After establishing and heading up the Medicines Regulatory Group in the Department of Health where he led on the development, application and enforcement of a wide range of medicines-related legislation, he is now Head of Regulatory Affairs in Community Pharmacy NI and holds honorary Professorial positions in both the Queen’s University of Belfast and in the Ulster University.  He also has been appointed as an Independent Community Observer for the Northern Ireland Policing Board and he sits on the Board of The Pharmacy Forum of Northern Ireland.