Welcoming Marlous van der Hooft: Leading Scitech’s Expansion into Germany

Having nearly two decades of expertise in establishing, managing and leading radiopharmaceutical manufacturing processes, facilities, and sites, Marlous is well-respected within the field. Marlous’s exceptional track record includes the successful launch of 13 production sites across Europe, both for principal and contract manufacturing. Her dedication and leadership have left an indelible mark on the industry, setting the stage for operational excellence and continuous improvement.

With a background in pharmaceutical microbiology, Marlous’s proficiency spans a wide spectrum – from lean manufacturing and process enhancement to quality control, QC method development, validation and compliance, supply chain management, regulatory strategy and medicines licensing.

Marlous’s appointment as Scitech GmbH Managing Director and General Manager underscores our commitment to driving innovation and expanding our horizons. As an integral part of the Scitech family, Scitech GmbH will provide quality and regulatory consulting, qualification and validation services, design and engineering and other consultancy support within the traditional pharmaceutical environment, primarily in German-speaking Europe. Additionally, Scitech GmbH will also operate as a global centre of excellence in radiopharmaceuticals, supplementing and drawing on the extensive proficiency of subject matter experts from across the Scitech group. 

Marlous’s extensive knowledge and visionary leadership are poised to elevate Scitech’s presence in Germany and beyond. 

Marlous said: “I am delighted to lead Scitech’s expansion into Germany, a vibrant hub of scientific innovation and collaboration. This presents an extraordinary opportunity for Scitech to further solidify its presence on the global stage, contributing to groundbreaking advancements in radiopharmaceutical manufacturing. Together, we will unlock new possibilities, forge impactful partnerships, and continue to drive excellence in delivering cutting-edge solutions to benefit patients and the healthcare community.”

We warmly welcome Marlous van der Hooft to the Scitech family and eagerly anticipate the incredible contributions she will make as we venture into new frontiers.

Scitech strengthens position as it looks to the future

At Scitech, as we move through our 20th year, our specialist design, construction and validation company is strengthening its organisational structure through the development of dedicated business units. Our new structure will ensure Scitech can respond, at pace, to the current and future demands of our sector.

The changes signify a strategic move that builds on our strengths in delivering first-class design, engineering and construction to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences and wider technology-driven sectors, and reinforces our position as a market leader in the delivery of QCS services.

Our Design and Engineering, QCS and Construction business units will target new opportunities and see Scitech grow our homegrown talent and expertise across all regions within the UK, Northern Europe and developing further opportunities in North America.

As we expand into the Northern regions of the UK, we are continuing to build highly capable and responsive teams that are dispersed across the country.

Dave Grant, Managing Director at Scitech, says: “This is an exciting time for all of us at Scitech as we celebrate 20 years of success and also prepare for the next 20 years. We are putting the structures and teams in place to ensure that we are ready to respond to opportunities within the sector as we continue to grow, ensuring that we support our existing clients, and give exciting development opportunities to our colleagues.”

The new structure has led to several promotions and new positions within the company and a number of new hires into strategically significant roles. We also continue to nurture up and coming talent through our apprenticeship and junior roles.

Discover the latest news from Scitech and see what new career opportunities are available at Scitech.

Double the celebrations as Scitech marks Employee Ownership Day 2022

Today marks Employee Ownership Day – the national celebration of employee ownership and the chance to raise awareness of the positive impact of employee ownership (EO). At Scitech, in our 20th anniversary year, we are not only celebrating our status as an employee-owned company, but we are also celebrating the 10th anniversary of becoming employee owned.

We believe employee ownership makes Scitech a special place to work, bringing benefits to everyone who works at the company which, in turn, ensures we can deliver successful projects for our clients.

Being employee-owned means that everyone has a say via our employee forums, and we all share our success across the business.

How does employee ownership work at Scitech?

We retain management and board structures along with associated reporting lines, as employee owners we are not involved in every decision. However, we all have a say on the decisions that impact us. With no external owners, shareholders, or investors, we are in control of our own destiny. We all share in the success and profits of the business and decide how to re-invest or distribute any surpluses.

This has a positive impact on the ethos of the company, creating a sense of empowerment and ownership in everyone, regardless of their level of seniority.

Dave Grant, Managing Director at Scitech, explains: “One of the aims of the original owners of Scitech was that ownership and control would always remain within Scitech. As the company evolved and some of the original owners retired or moved on, this became more difficult. So, in 2012, to ensure that ownership continued to be held by our employees, the Scitech Employee Ownership Trust was established. Ten years later, I feel that everyone would agree that it contributes to achieving a great company culture and in making Scitech a special place to work.”

Scitech will be celebrating 10 years of employee ownership and 20 years of Scitech with a special event for staff in July. Keep an eye out for updates via our LinkedIn account.

You can find out more about Scitech’s history on our ‘Who we are’ page on our website and about employee-ownership on the Employee Ownership Association website.

Celebrating 20 years of Scitech

In 2002, a group of like-minded specialists in the design, engineering and construction industry took the leap and formed Scitech. Their vision was to create a company that was at the cutting edge of engineering solutions targeted specifically at the pharmaceutical and life science sectors. They sought freedom and had a desire for flexibility to provide innovative solutions that serviced the bespoke needs of their customers focused on delivering results and making a difference.

Twenty years on their mission still holds true and their small team has grown substantially with colleagues based across the breadth of the UK and beyond.

Scitech have established offices in Antwerp, Cardiff and have custom built a head office in Godalming, Surrey. Scitech’s reach now extends beyond the pharmaceutical and life science sector to include many other sectors that also depend on highly regulated and controlled R&D manufacturing processes.

To mark its 20th year, Scitech’s employees share their memories and reflect on what they feel makes Scitech unique.

Nicola Hale (South East Operations Manager) one of the founding members of Scitech, said: “We set up Scitech because we wanted to do interesting work, enjoy our work and be in charge of our destiny. The company has grown but that mentality is still very much there. It is helping us to attract the type of people who like tackling novel challenges and finding solutions that make a difference to our clients. I love that we can work with small start-ups and see that we are really adding value – it’s very rewarding.”

Duncan Sansom, Construction Operations Manager, has worked with Scitech for 18 years. He added: “Scitech has always had a ‘can-do’ attitude. We are fortunate enough to work in cutting edge sectors with numerous experts in their field, making the whole project (concept to construction and validation) a challenging and rewarding experience. The family atmosphere within Scitech has allowed me to progress from joining as a civil engineer to a construction manager, project manager and now my current role. All in-house departments work together to deliver excellent projects for our clients meaning I have been able to maintain many long-term relationships with clients and colleagues within Scitech.”

Greg Barthram, a recent employee to join Scitech as an Electrical Engineer said: “I was attracted to Scitech when I read about the company’s values – the attraction was immediate. Employee wholeness and employee happiness in turn provide for better customer service, so it’s a win-win for me. I love innovative approaches and Scitech’s results speak for themselves. Companies who trust their employees matter a great deal to me, and the opportunity to set my own work-life balance is immense.”

Scitech prides itself on ensuring the health and happiness of its employees, and their families, through a combination of flexible working practices and well-being support initiatives. As a 100% employee-owned company, it also fosters a culture of participation, transparency and engagement with employees having a say in how the company is run via its Employee Owners Forum.

Emma Dawas, HR Manager, said: “Employee Ownership (EO) is all about collective responsibility – we all strive to create a working environment where people feel fulfilled and rewarded. Our positive ‘EO’ culture is one of main reasons we have such motivated, happy staff.”

Find out more about Scitech and what career opportunities are available.