Just a little over a year ago, Cellomatics scooped one of the most prestigious awards aimed at recognising and celebrating exciting and innovative UK businesses, the Queen’s Award for International Trade. We sat down with Cellomatics’ founder and CEO, Dr Shailendra Singh, to discuss the impact winning this award has had on the organisation and the wider implications of the award on the East Midlands region.
What does it mean to both you and Cellomatics as a company to have been awarded the Queen’s Award?
The Queen’s Award is one of the most prestigious business awards in the UK and so it is a fantastic achievement and moment of recognition for the entire team at Cellomatics. As founder of the company, it was an incredibly proud and humbling moment for me to represent Cellomatics at the ceremony hosted by the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace in July 2022.
Winning this award reflects Cellomatics’ growth journey and it gives me immense joy to see the company continue to expand its service offerings for international clients.
Have you seen any changes to the business since winning the Queen’s Award?
Since winning the Queen’s Award we have seen a consistent 20% year-over-year growth over the last two financial years. This has also attracted interest from potential investors within this space who are looking forward to working with Cellomatics as part of our next phase in our growth journey.
While it is difficult to directly measure the impact of the Queen’s Award, I am sure it has played a vital role in raising our global profile and credibility within the Life Sciences sector. The business has continued to grow and is attracting more clients both nationally and internationally through recommendations and website visits.
The award has also allowed Cellomatics to stand out amongst its competitors, which results in us generating qualified leads quickly and efficiently.
Have you seen any changes to your staff and recruitment since winning the Queen’s Award?
The entire Cellomatics team takes great pride in being part of a company recognised with this prestigious Queen’s Award which has global recognition. This has only inspired our team to strive and achieve even greater success in the future.
Having attained such a prestigious award has also attracted more skilled candidates to express their interest in working for Cellomatics as they see how valuable and innovative our work is.
Do you think the life sciences sector is well represented by Queen’s Award winners?
I believe so, yes. The life sciences industry represents one of the most dominant economic sectors in the UK, with a recent report suggesting that the UK government has continuously performed highly in terms of R&D investment in healthcare and continues to be one of the top nations generating high quality medical science publications. This focus has allowed life science companies within the UK to thrive, something which is reflected in Queen’s Award winners over the years.
How do you feel the East Midlands is represented by Queen’s Award winners?
Although the East Midlands has a diverse community of business sectors, I believe, as a region, it is still underrepresented by Queen’s Awards winners.
The Queen’s Award application has a fair set of qualifying criteria which is independent of your geographical location and therefore there will be no location-based bias in the judging. The small number of East Midlands-based winners could instead be due to lack of awareness about these awards and how straightforward the application process can be. I believe with more education around these awards, the East Midlands can certainly compensate for its underrepresentation in the coming years.
Do you think other businesses are looking more favourably at the East Midland because of its Queen’s Award winners?
Of course, Queen’s Award winners have demonstrated unequivocally that you do not need to be based around London to achieve success in innovation, growth, and other areas. We have the right mix of infrastructure, facilities, and talent to deliver on the larger platforms.
Companies based in the East Midlands have made, and will continue to make, a significant contribution in supporting the engine for growth and innovation in the UK and in driving the British economy forwards.
Would you apply for the award again? (now the King’s Award)
Absolutely. The whole journey from applying for the award to attending the prestigious event at Buckingham Palace, and later being presented with the award by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottingham at our lab and office facilities has been a truly memorable and fantastic experience.
