Wales, UK – 27th April 2022 -- Purolite, an Ecolab company and leading manufacturer of synthetic and agarose-based resins used in the bioprocessing industry, has been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.

Now in its 56th year, The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is widely recognised as being the UK’s highest accolade for business success. The annual awards acknowledge firms that have excelled in exporting, social or environmental good work or innovation.

Purolite is one of 232 organisations nationally to be recognised with a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise. They were chosen for demonstrating outstanding success in innovation and international trade, as well as the resilience the business has shown in unprecedented times.

7,000 businesses from across the UK have been recognised for their contribution to international trade, innovation, sustainable development and promoting opportunity since the Awards were established in 1965. 

Leighton Davies, Finance Director at Purolite, has received an invitation to the Buckingham Palace awards reception hosted by Prince Charles.

Commenting on the award, Hayley Crowe, SVP and General Manager of Purolite, states: “It’s a tremendous honour to have won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. I’m immensely proud of this achievement and would like to thank the fantastic teams we have in place all over the world, as well as the continued support of our valued customers.”

Chris Major, UK General Manager at Purolite’s Healthcare & Life Sciences division in Llantrisant, north of Cardiff, added: “We’ve worked hard to deliver quality, reliable and industry-leading resins to our customers, and the continued growth of our customer base is testament to this.

“The Agarose Life Science business is the growth engine of the Purolite group and positions the company well for the next decade and beyond. Exports of agarose resins account for the majority of our turnover, and this trend is expected to continue.”

Agarose resins are used in a variety of biopharmaceuticals approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the manufacture of modern medicines targeting the treatment of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, age-related diseases and in developing treatments and vaccines that combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major added: “We have invested significantly in our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Wales which is complemented by our talented and skilled workforce. This investment underlines the company’s commitment not only to Life Sciences, but also to its long heritage of manufacturing in Wales and the UK.”