Jan Depoorter qualified as a pharmacist in 1981. He owns his own pharmacy since 1987. He became quickly involved in his local pharmacy union, where he consecutively was general coordinator, vice-president and finally president for 4 years. Meanwhile he was co-founder and president of a newly created software vendor for pharmacists with strong focus on applied pharmaceutical care. From 2006 on he was member of the board of directors of the APB (Belgian Pharmacists’ Association). He entered the management board of APB in 2010 and is now secretary-general. He is member in several national health committees and negotiated a multi-annual agreement with the minister of health in 2016-17.