Tayside company recognised for Business Leadership in Scotland’s Life Sciences industry

Dundee-based life sciences company, Axis-Shield, has won the award for best Business Leadership at the Scottish Enterprise Life Sciences Annual Dinner 2010.

The company received the award which recognises business leaders and management teams that have 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 significant progress in 2009. The company, which has grown from a spin out in 1982 to a multinational with around 500 staff globally, has delivered a number of landmark achievements over the last year including Food & Drug Administration (FDA) clearance on a range of innovative products with global market potential.

The award was presented at the Scottish Enterprise annual dinner in Edinburgh on Thursday 4^th February in front of more than 750 representatives from the life sciences community in Scotland and worldwide.

Rhona Allison, senior director of Life Sciences at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Axis-Shield is a high quality company and an excellent winner of this year’s Business Leadership Award.  Its management team has guided the company to an outstanding year. 

“The life sciences sector has much to contribute to Scotland’s economic future and continues to develop and progress some of the most exciting projects in the country.  We at Scottish Enterprise, will continue to work with our partners, to support the industry to drive forward a globally orientated, sustainable and fully connected life sciences industry.”

Ian Gilham, chief executive of Axis-Shield, commented: “We are very pleased to have our achievements at Axis-Shield recognised by winning such a prestigious award. Since the inception of Shield Diagnostics as a spin-out from the University of Dundee in the early 1980’s we have gone from strength to strength and we are now producing substantial sustainable revenues and profits and are quoted on the London and Oslo Stock Exchanges. Our Dundee Headquarters remain a cornerstone of our profitability and we expect to continue to grow our laboratory diagnostics sales from this important site for our global business.”