LGC reports half year trading in line with expectations
Update for the half year ended 30 September 2020
Management confirms that trading is in line with expectations, with strong momentum expected to continue through the second half of the year to 31 March 2021.
Key Highlights
COVID-19 update
LGC actively supports the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing PCR systems for processing diagnostic tests, providing critical components for testing kits, manufacturing quality control materials to support such tests and providing specialist support to enterprises developing vaccines and medicines to treat the disease.
Acquisition of The Native Antigen Company (NAC)
In July 2020, LGC announced the acquisition of The Native Antigen Company (NAC), one of the world’s leading suppliers of high quality infectious disease antigens and antibodies.
NAC is a developer, manufacturer and supplier of critical reagents to the in vitro diagnostic (IVD), pharmaceutical and academic sectors. This acquisition strengthens and complements LGC’s existing product offering to the IVD sector. NAC was one of the first companies to offer antigens for SARS-COV-2 and continues to play an important role in supporting the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based near Oxford, UK, NAC was founded in 2010 and currently employs more than 30 people. NAC’s portfolio includes more than sixty viral and infectious disease products, with strengths in Dengue, Cytomegalovirus, Zika, Chikungunya and Clostridium difficile (C. diff).
Since the acquisition, LGC has signed a lease agreement for new premises near Oxford, which will provide for future expansion.
LGC launches AXIO Proficiency Testing
In September 2020, LGC announced the launch of its rebranded Proficiency Testing (PT) offering: AXIO Proficiency Testing. Having built this single business unit from a number of component parts, LGC now offers a dedicated, unified PT face to customers and partners around the world. The AXIO Proficiency Testing brand proposition is built on the pillars of Leadership, Influence, Partnership, Evolution and Trust offered by LGC’s PT portfolio of schemes, samples, reporting and customer service.
LGC employees receive external recognition awards
In October 2020, Selvarani Elahi, Deputy UK Government Chemist and Business Manager, Food Research, LGC, was awarded an MBE for services to Food Measurement Science in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List. Selvarani Elahi, who has been with LGC since 1991, was appointed Deputy UK Government Chemist in 2011. She has over 25 years’ experience in the analysis of food and agriculture samples. She works across a variety of policy areas with stakeholder groups both nationally and internationally, to improve standards in measurement science.
In June 2020, Dr Michael Walker, Head of the Office of the UK Government Chemist, has had the title ‘Professor of Practice’ conferred on him from Queen's University, Belfast. A graduate of Queen’s, Sussex and Kingston universities, Prof Walker has always maintained close links with the university, collaborating on many projects throughout the years. He worked alongside on the ‘Elliott Review’ with Professor Chris Elliot, reviewing the integrity and assurance of food supply networks in the aftermath of the 2013 horsemeat incident.
LGC announces senior appointments
In September 2020, LGC announced it appointed Lisa Amaya Price to the new role of Chief People Officer (CPO). Prior to joining LGC, Lisa was SVP, Human Resources at Scholar Rock, Inc. a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Massachusetts, USA, and was Global Head of Human Resources for Takeda’s vaccine business unit. Before joining Takeda, Lisa served in various positions of increasing responsibility at Biogen, Inc between 2008 and 2016. Lisa joined LGC on 5 October 2020.
In September 2020, Greer McMullen joined LGC as General Counsel and Company Secretary. Having worked across a number of different geographies and cultures, in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, Greer brings a wealth of experience spanning executive roles in a number of industries, including GE, The Service Master Company and, most recently, Coty Inc.
In September 2020, LGC announced Dr Tish Creasey had joined the LGC Board, as an independent Non-Executive Director. Prior to joining LGC, Tish served as Executive Vice President & Head of Applied Solutions Strategy, Marketing and Innovation for MilliporeSigma, a Merck KGaA Darmstadt Company. In this capacity, Tish was responsible for strategy, marketing and innovation focusing on the Applied Markets for diagnostics, food testing, purified lab water and microbiology applications.
LGC ranks 25 in Sunday Times’ business standings
LGC is delighted to rank 25 in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 league table and stands as the highest ranked life sciences company in the league table. The 2020 ranking builds on last year’s rank of 40 and is testament to LGC’s continued growth.