CEO Today UK Awards 2021

develop products that allow compliance with the new stricter guidelines and business continuity for an increasing number of customers. Has the pandemic affected the demand for your products? The unprecedented times we live in has had a mixed impact on the business. As our Curaphen phenolic polymers are used in packaging coatings, the demand has grown and continues to grow. I led the development of the Queen’s Award-winning Bisphenol A (BPA)- free phenolic resins which is now a global bestseller. The packaging coating business has grown during the pandemic as might be expected. It is difficult to talk about the coronavirus outbreak without thinking first and foremost that it is a global humanitarian crisis that has touched everyone. Whilst the economic impact of the pandemic may have created greater demand in food packaging and some other domestic material applications, we have seen some sectors, such as the vehicular transport and aerospace industry, desecrated by the virus. As the Managing Director, how have you dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on the business? Our business has continued albeit with a slight downturn in 2019 turnover, equating to approximately 6% reduction. We have remained fully operational and when the virus was first identified we implemented a slightly modified version of the WHO Flu Pandemic emergency response plan. This meant we had initiated social distancing measures, segregation and staged plans with buddy systems or bubbles before government guidelines had been presented. As a chemical plant using PPE as part of our daily operations, the introduction of masks was straight- forward for us. These measures and further assessments, now coupled with checks and internal reporting meant that since the start of the pandemic, we have had confirmation of a few cases of COVID-19 with our staff, but we have not had one single internal transmission. Externally, we have offered the government our services for mass sanitiser production and we increased our charity work to help those in need. Our business continues to grow, and we are confident of not only regaining the slight downturn in sales but comfortably surpassing this level and achieving increased growth. What do you hope to achieve in 2021 with Bitrez? We see 2021 as a time for overseas growth and outsourcing and/or licensing technology to accommodate increased demand. To accommodate some of the new developments and global interest, I have been involved in some licensing agreements. This allows us to arrange domestic manufacture for local supply providing improved logistics, pricing, and convenience and assists organisations that have capacity resulting from their downturn in business. We see growth and new sales over the forthcoming years and the innovative technology we have created provides the lifeblood to achieve these goals. What does this award mean to you? It is an honour to even be considered for this award and a privilege to be recognised for a second time as the CEO of the year in this category! I always like to point out that whilst I may be the figurehead of the team, without the hard work, dedication, and determination of my colleagues, we would not be where we are today. We recognise the part that the chemical sector must play in progressing towards a circular economy, and we continue to try to make a difference in support of the new innocuous polymer products that we hope will provide a cleaner, more sustainable future for generations to come. Design & Manufacturing 106 CEO TODAY UNITED KINGDOM AWARDS 2021