Lisburn man Prof Mike Mawhinney is appointed as the Sheriff of Co Down

There are eight High Sheriffs in Northern Ireland, one for Belfast and Londonderry and one for each of the six counties.

The office of High Sheriff is an ancient one that dates back nearly 1,000 years when the "Shire Reeve" reported to the king on matters of law.

It is the oldest secular office in the UK and is the Sovereign's judicial representative in the County.

In his role, he will be invited to greet members of the Royal Family or Heads of State if they visit Co Down and will receive High Court Judges should they be presiding at a Court in the county.

A former pupil of Kilkeel High School, Prof Mawhinney now lives in Lisburn with his wife Pauline and sons Sam and Jack.

He completed a Pharmacy degree, a Doctorate in Pharmaceutics and an LLM in Medical Law. His contribution to medicines regulation and education has been recognised nationally at the highest level 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 was recently presented with The Outstanding Contribution to the Pharmacy Profession Award.

After establishing and heading up the Medicines Regulatory Group in the Department of Health, 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.

Speaking of his appointment, Professor Mawhinney commented that he was “very honoured to take up the role and I am looking forward to engaging with the local communities during my tenure”.