Ms. Nilhan Uzman, FIP Lead for Education Policy and Implementation, had the pleasure of interviewing the FIP President, Mr. Dominique Jordan recently on behalf of FIP YPG. The questions were written by FIP members, Redouane Soualmi and Diana Ching.
Nilhan: Can you please describe the steps you have taken in your career that have led you to becoming the president of a global organization?
Dominique Jordan: It’s quite easy. I graduated in 1988, I bought a pharmacy and I worked in my pharmacy for three years. I then began to look at what I can do for the profession [of pharmacy] and I knew that the best way was to be involved in an official organization. Three years later, in 1991, I joined the local pharmacists organization and two years later I became president. I was President for six years, and during this time I had been involved in negotiations on the national level for topics regarding insurances. They asked me to be part of the national committee. And in 1995, I began my work in the ExCo of the national organization. In 2003, I became president of PharmaSuisse, a national organization. And I have been president since or until 2014, twelve years. And during this time, I was very curious and I wanted to see what happened in other countries, so that I have been involved since 1993 with FIP. I became a member of the board of the CPS [Community Pharmacy Section] and other sections. After that they asked me to be president, so I became president in 2006. After that, I was involved in BPP [Board of Pharmaceutical Practices] and I became chair of the BPP. And last year I was candidate for the FIP presidency. So I had the honor to be elected and now I am president of the FIP.
Nilhan: This is my personal comment. It sounds like it’s a coincidence but I think the secret is: passion, hard work, and curiosity.
Dominique Jordan: Yes curiosity and trust. Trusting people working with me.
Nilhan: Oh I see, so what are your three principals?
Dominique Jordan: Trust, solidarity and action.
Nilhan: Exactly. I think this what led you to become a president. Let’s go to the second question, When you were a young pharmacist, did you have the opportunity to work in any other pharmacy associations? If so what kind of opportunities have you participated in?
Dominique Jordan: Yes, I had been involved with [pharmacy associations] for 30 years, including the negotiation with insurances. This was my first step. Being involved afterwards in the life of our association. This was very interesting, because at the beginning, you are very shy and you have no idea what to do. I think you have to be confident to learn. And with time, you become more confident and you dare to say things. You build a couple competencies, and this is very important. You have to believe in your competence.
Nilhan: Yes, I think this is also suggestions for young pharmacists. That, they have to start earlier.
Dominique Jordan: Yes, and it is experience. They have to trust that they are able to do that. The older generation needs to have some younger people to challenge, to ask questions and to show them that the future is very important. We have a responsibility, as the older generation, to give them (the younger generation) a healthy profession.
Nilhan: Yes, that is so important. The third question is: How do you envision the role of young pharmacists in FIP to be key decision makers in healthcare? I think this question fits well with your previous experience in the decision-making process with the health insurances. And you also have a decision maker position, so what should young pharmacists do?
Dominique Jordan: They have to dare to participate in discussion because we know exactly: it takes about 10 years to have or to implement changes. And if you are not participating from the beginning, you will be left behind.
Nilhan: Today, it is like the analogy of the bus.
Dominique Jordan: Yes exactly, if the bus is leaving, you have no chance to run after the bus and won’t have a place/seat in the bus. So with that, from the beginning of what I mentioned: discuss with the people, try to develop a strategy, try to bring good ideas for the future and find people listening to your wishes or to your needs.
Nilhan: Yes, it is also to identify opportunities. You have to be to be [actively] seeking these opportunities. So then the decision power comes to comes to you.
Dominique Jordan: Exactly
Last question is a nice question for you, When do you believe they can see a millennial generation in the bureau or boards or ExCos? Or… when and how?
Dominique Jordan: In FIP, it is quite difficult because it is an election process and as you might know, you have to be candidate, and then the council is electing people. But we are thinking about other issue to involve younger generation in the work of the Bureau. For example observer statutes or inviting members or something like that. The problem is that with a young pharmacists group, they are changing every year and we need a bit more stability because, when we have a project, it is rare to have a project implemented [and completed] in within one year. So maybe the young pharmacists group has to think about how they could change a little bit the of the terms/periods of a different [committees’] function within young pharmacists group and to be more present for a longer period in FIP. So I think it will be very important to have this continuity with the FIP YPG. But don’t forget, the FIP Young Pharmacists Group is the future of the pharmacy and it’s a very important group within FIP, because we are working for the future.
Nilhan: Yes.
Dominique Jordan: As president, I develop some strategy and I try with my team to implement the strategy. But if the Young Pharmacists Group are not present, we will miss something. I’m sure you know about that. So it’s a very important group and it’s the reason why the collaboration with Young Pharmacists Group is very important for me.
Nilhan: Yes, I think, when I was reading one report, it says that, in the next 10 years, [our future] will be designed by the pharmacists of today. So if you feel that, you know not pressure, but the level of responsibility. The young people suddenly feel like: ‘Ok, I’m not just included because I’m young, but because, I have to be. Because the future will be told by me and designed by me.’
Dominique Jordan: Yes, and they have to work in ten years still. In ten years, I will be retired. That’s crazy but it is like this. So that is a reason why it’s important that we have the opinion and thoughts of the Young Pharmacists group in our strategy.
Nilhan: What is one message you’d like to leave us with?
Dominique Jordan: Long live pharmacy, long live Young Pharmacists Group.
