GAMA Healthcare, a leading supplier of disinfectant wipes and infection prevention solutions to the NHS, has won the Large Business of the Year Award, issued by the Hertfordshire Business Awards.
The award was for an outstanding business that has a turnover in excess of £15 million whose growth, ambition and quality of management has enabled it to deliver on a compelling business strategy. The ceremony was held at Knebworth House on 22 November 2018 in front of 440 guests.
In particular, the judges were looking for evidence of a strategy which includes the development of its range of products and services, as well as business performance indicators that demonstrated controlled growth, and sustainable and strong performance in the context of the market in which they operate. Another judging criteria was the employment and training aspect of the business, such as whether the contestant created new jobs or introduced flexible working practices, if they managed staff innovatively to match business needs, if there was development and training of their employees, and if there was evidence of staff benefits and pastoral care.
The award was sponsored by Barclays and the other finalists included Herts for Learning, Quanta Consultancy Services and Sigma Pharmaceuticals.
GAMA, which was established in 2004 by two junior doctors, Guy Braverman and Allen Hanouka, developed a single universal disinfectant wipe that was effective on a range of healthcare acquired infections, at a time when it was traditional to use a two-step approach of first cleaning then disinfecting surfaces and equipment in hospitals. Since then, the business has grown rapidly, with more than 130 employees and a new £2.5 million R&D facility in Halifax, West Yorkshire, under development. Their products are increasingly sought overseas, now selling to 60 countries worldwide, particularly in China and Australia, where they have opened up offices.
Dr Guy Braverman, GAMA Healthcare co-founder and managing director, said: “We are proud to be named as Hertfordshire’s Large Business of the Year. This is a great achievement for everyone involved with GAMA Healthcare, and is due reward to our staff for all their hard work.
Dr Allen Hanouka, co founder and managing director, added: “I’d like to say thank you to all the staff at our Hertfordshire base, without whom none of our work would be possible. Your hard work and ingenuity is what keeps the company moving forward, and this ward is great recognition of that.”
