As part of our build up to the Queen's Award Gala Dinner this September, we're talking to some of this year's international trade winners.
In this interview, we talk to chemical supplier, Glentham Life Sciences.
What does your business do and where are you at the moment in terms of your exports?
Glentham Life Sciences is a supplier of fine chemicals and raw materials to academia and industry, with customers worldwide. We applied for a Queen's award with our first three years' of accounts, having achieved strong export sales in our first year and considerable growth in the subsequent two years. Approximately 95% of our sales are currently exports, with the majority of sales to Europe and the United States.
Congratulations on winning a Queen’s Award! How did it feel to win one and how has winning one impacted your business?
Thank you - it has been very exciting and an honour to win a Queen's Award, particularly in the International Trade category, which reflects our strengths as a company. We attended the winners' reception at Buckingham Palace, which was an incredible experience and opportunity to meet the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and members of the royal family.
You’ve signed up for IOE membership. What was the main factor for you in taking up the membership?
As a winner of a Queen's Award, we were offered a one year free IOE membership, giving us the usual membership benefits and permission to use the IOE's logo. The main factors for taking up the membership were the potential networking and media opportunities, which we hope to start taking advantage of in the near future.
What’s the next big thing for your business?
We are presently looking to expand and build a new facility in the South West of England, and continue the growth of our team. Our aim in the next 3-5 years is to use our new facility to produce niche materials in the UK for export to our customers around the world.
You can sign up to the Queen's Award dinner for a fabulous celebration of the Queen's Award winners' achievements at the Royal Horseguards Hotel here.
You can also apply for an award yourself in this year's International Trade Category - more info.