Tayside company nominated for prestigious life sciences award

Business leaders from Dundee-based, Axis-Shield Plc have been shortlisted for a prestigious Scottish Enterprise Life Sciences Award 2010.

The company has been nominated for the best Life Sciences Business Leadership Award which recognises business leaders or management teams that has significantly advanced a Scottish life sciences company in the previous year.

Leaders at Axis-Shield have expertly guided the company during the economic downturn to report another year of progress in 2009. The company, which has grown from a spin out in 1982 to a significant multinational with around 500 staff globally, has made significant achievements over the last year which include securing FDA clearance on a number of tests.

The winners of the 2010 awards will be announced at the Scottish Enterprise Life Sciences Annual Dinner at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 4th February.

Rhona Allison, senior director of Life Sciences at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Congratulations to all of the companies who have made it onto the shortlist – they have done tremendously well to make it to this stage. We always expect a high standard of entries for the Life Sciences Awards and this year has been no different.  I understand from the judges that the quality of entries has again been incredibly high and built on the impressive standards set last year.”

“These Awards are a real chance for us to recognise and reward Scotland’s life sciences top innovations and entrepreneurial performers and have become an increasingly important event in the industry’s business calendar.  I’m looking forward to the awards themselves which will, once again, showcase Scotland’s achievements, successes and outstanding talent.”

The keynote speaker at this year’s dinner will be Dr Rod MacKenzie, senior vice president and head of world wide research for Pfizer Inc.and the event will be attended by industry both national and international, academia, the Scottish Government as well as funding specialists who continue to carefully track the undeniable innovation and dynamism of the sector.

The Scottish Enterprise Annual Life Sciences Dinner attracts more than 750 people from the life sciences community in the UK and abroad to celebrate Scotland’s most innovative companies.