Showcasing the best in business!
Randox Laboratories was delighted to sponsor this year’s 2017 Causeway Coast and Glens Business Awards, which was held at the Diamond in Ulster University, Coleraine.
The prestigious ceremony, organised by the Causeway Chamber, recognised and honoured the best of the Borough’s businesses on a local and national level.
350 guests attended the event including Mayor Cllr Joan Baird OBE, Provost Dr Karise Hutchinson, Chief Executive David Jackson, local businesses, award sponsors and 59 finalists who eagerly waited to see if their name would be called out.
Dr Peter FitzGerald CBE FREng DL, Managing Director, Randox commented:
“When you have an opportunity to bring together the best local businesses, not only does it demonstrate the strength of the region but it also enables businesses to help each other and get even better. As this year’s sponsor, we were very impressed with the nominees of each category and choosing the winners was no mean feat. As a company which has benefitted enormously from competitions and awards, we look forward to following their journeys and wish them all the best in the future.”
Anthony Newman, President of Causeway Chamber said:
“The chamber is recognised for helping businesses grow by providing networking opportunities; gaining access to government and key decision makers; creating a range of support initiatives and contributing to local economic activity. We work in partnership with local, national and international organisations and stakeholders. We have formed ties with Ulster University and Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council, this is evidenced by our collaboration to create a shared vision for this beautiful area.”
The event was hosted by local businesswoman and former TV presenter Sarah Travers who commented on the wide range of companies in the competition:
“The Causeway Coast and Glens Borough is unique in its ability to offer a variety of locations for business development. The Chamber has truly embraced the diversity of the local business talents and rewarded each sector individually.”
Annette Deighan, Chamber Operations Manager added that the awards enable the area to showcase its many talents on a national stage:
“Causeway Coast and Glens Business Awards would not have been possible without our businesses and continued support of all our sponsors. It is an honour to host these awards, to recognise the achievements and success in our Borough. It shows as a Borough we are continuing to excel and compete at a regional and national level.”
This year there was 18 awards comprising of many categories sponsored by individual companies. The judges were overwhelmed with the level of entries received which is a testament to the success of these bi-annual awards and the achievements of all sectors in the Borough. It highlighted that the Causeway Borough is continuing to grow, compete and provide services at a local and global level. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists on the evening.
Green Business Award sponsored by firmus energy
ATG Group
Best Young person in Business Award sponsored by Northern Regional College
Gareth Boyd, 2020 Architects
Training & Development Award sponsored by Ulster University
Dixons Contractors
Health & Wellbeing Award sponsored by Public Health Agency
Focus on Family
Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility sponsored by Riada Resourcing
Roadside Garages Ltd
Innovation Award sponsored by Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council
ATG Group
Best Start up Business Award sponsored by Causeway Enterprise Agency
Adams McGillan
Small Business of the Year sponsored by Bank of Ireland
I Care Opticians
Social Enterprise of the Year sponsored by McDonald’s
Ashes to Gold
The Creative Industries Award sponsored by Ulster Bank
2020 Architects
Good Food Award sponsored by Electric Ireland
Anglers Rest
Best Tourism Attraction/Service Provider of the Year sponsored by Tourism Ireland
The Crannagh Activity Centre
Business Growth Award sponsored by Danske Bank
Christies Direct
Best New Product/Service of the Year sponsored by Armstrong Medical Ltd
Euro Autospares Ltd
Accommodation Provider of the Year sponsored by First Trust Bank
The Lodge Hotel
AgriBusiness of the Year sponsored by ATG Group
Ballyeamon Eggs Ltd
Retailer of the Year sponsored by Autoline Insurance Group
JKC Specialist Cars
Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council
Winifred Mellet, The Winsome Lady, Ballymoney
For further information about the Randox sponsorship of Causeway Coast & Glens Business Awards, please contact Randox PR by phoning 028 9445 1016 or emailing RandoxPR@randox.com
We Are Randox | Randox QUB and UU placement students making their mark on global healthcare
A female scientist who has been working on the development of a test that diagnoses sepsis is one of the award-winning students in this year’s university placement scheme with Randox Laboratories.
The breakthrough sepsis test is being created by the Randox Molecular Diagnostics team, which Sarah-Louise Morrow from Belfast joined in September. Her innovative work saw her win third place in the Science category at the company’s annual Pinnacle Placement Awards.
Sarah-Louise, a Biochemistry student from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), said:
“Sepsis is known as the ‘silent killer’, and the faster you can diagnose it the better for the patient. It was so inspiring working with a team here at Randox who are making such valuable contributions to global health and I couldn’t be happier that something I’ve worked on could save lives in the future.”
Now in its 26th year, the Randox placement programme is recognised internationally for providing world-class opportunities for students and graduates – one of the core reasons that the global diagnostics company was established in 1982. Thirty years on, its founder Dr Peter FitzGerald remains as committed as ever to championing new talent and driving innovation.
Between them, this year’s Randox placement students have spearheaded a number of new designs and projects which are being implemented across the company.
Catherine McCooke, a QUB Electrical and Electronic Engineering student designed a new UV radiation exposure detection mechanism; Shannon McKee, a Business Studies student at Ulster University, conducted highly advantageous market research into emerging markets such as Jamaica and Puerto Rico; and Katie Lawther, a QUB Microbiology student introduced a new cellular tissue storage and tracking system.
The title of Randox Placement Student of the Year 2017 went to Robin Walsh, a QUB student from Lisburn who developed a new chemiluminescence signal reagent which is currently being validated and will be shortly released for production.
The 22 year old’s new product delivers significantly positive effects on the chemistry testing carried out by the Randox New Technology team. It increases test output by a factor of three, saving costs and time which ultimately enables the faster delivery of results for patients.
On receiving his award Robin, who studies Chemical Engineering, said;
“The Randox Placement Programme has far exceeded my expectations. My manager and everyone else in my team have been so supportive and encouraging. I worked on high-level projects I wouldn’t have dreamed possible for a placement student to be involved with. I have gained so much experience during my time as I have been able to translate what I’ve learnt in university into a true working environment. I’ve no doubt this experience will set me apart from the competition in the future.”
Congratulating Robin and his fellow placement students, Jolene Jamison, Randox Placement Co-Ordinator said;
“Taking part in a meaningful placement scheme is one of the most important things a student can do. The young people who are selected to join our programme are given the opportunity to carry out ground-breaking research and development, often working with pioneering technologies that are exported globally.
“The scheme is highly valued by the company so it’s important to take time at its end to celebrate our students. We’re very proud of them all – their contributions are going to make a real difference to global health.”
For the first time two of the Randox Placement award winners were selected from the APEX scheme that Randox runs with UU and QUB. This innovative scheme, which enables applicants to submit “video CVS” on social media to showcase their own personalities, includes paid, full-time summer work experience after a student’s first year of studies, a year-long placement, and a full-time job offer upon graduating, should they obtain a 2:1 or above.
Catherine McCooke who won the overall prize in Engineering said:
“After winning a place through the APEX scheme, being awarded the top prize in Engineering at Randox is unbelievable. It’s particularly important to me because I feel very passionately that women should see that there are no barriers to succeeding as an engineer. I’ve worked incredibly hard with some inspiring people, and have felt respected and valued every step of the way.”
The incoming 2017 summer work experience marks the highest intake of APEX students in Randox so far. Anyone interested in applying for the 2018-19 scheme should email recruitment@randox.com.
The top students in the Randox Pinnacle Placement Awards 2017 were:
Science Category
Robin Walsh, Queen’s University Chemical Engineering – New Technology Evaluation Chemistry Team at Randox
Katie Lawther, Queen’s University Microbiology – Monoclonal Development Team at Randox
Sarah-Louise Morrow, Queen’s University Biochemistry – Molecular Diagnostics Team at Randox
Engineering Category
Catherine McCooke, Queen’s University Electrical and Electronic Engineering – R&D Engineering Team at Randox
Ruairi Laverty, Queen’s University Mechanical Engineering – R&D Engineering Team at Randox
Adam Fawcett, The Ulster University Electronic Engineering – Engineering Team at Randox
Business Category
Shannon McKee, The Ulster University Business – Regional Sales Team at Randox
Martin Conway, The Ulster University Marketing – Marketing Team at Randox
Alastair McIlveen, Queen’s University Computer Science – IT Team at Randox
Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to stay up-to-date with the hashtag #WeAreRandox for more Randox staff stories.
For more information about the #WeAreRandox initiative please contact Randox PR by email: randoxpr@randox.com or phone 028 9442 2413
Impact Excellence Awards: Randox revealed as Ulster University Placement Employer Award Finalist
The cream of students employers were last night celebrated at a prestigious awards ceremony at the Belfast Harbour Commissioners Office, to pay recognition to the companies across Northern Ireland that go above and beyond to provide high calibre placement and job opportunities for University students.
With over 155 companies nominated, including PWC and BBC, the competition for the top Placement Employer in Northern Ireland was fierce. We are extremely pleased to announce that Randox came in as one of the top 3 finalists for Ulster University’s Top Placement Employer of the Year, in the ‘nominated by an Ulster University Student’ category.
We caught up with Human Resources Officer, Jolene Jamison, who manages the Placement and Graduate Programme, about what it is that makes the placement experience at Randox so unique.
The Randox Placement Programme, by Human Resources Officer, Jolene Jamison
An in-depth induction
For students the Randox placement journey, from beginning to end, is the perfect transition from university life to the workplace.
When they arrive, the induction process is an important first step in easing students into what is for many, their first professional job. It gives students an overview of the company, the company’s products and services, the ethos of the organisation, the responsibilities of their job role, the placement support on offer and the processes in place for feedback and evaluation. The induction process also gives students an insight into the valuable contribution they can make to Randox and subsequently global health, by showcasing examples of previous placement students’ work.
Students also have the opportunity to meet with other employees and students across the company to develop an understanding of the wider Randox organisation. Each induction is tailored dependent on the role to be fulfilled, in order to help the student to gain an understanding of where they personally fit within the organisation, and so they experience a mix of presentations, seminars, interactive sessions and shadowing a supervisor, to gain insight into the responsibilities of their department.
We also make a preliminary assessment of each student’s capabilities in order to identify training and development needs throughout the duration of their placement.
A Supportive Environment
During placements with us our students are each supported by a dedicated placement co-ordinator and mentor, and meet with them every 3 months for review.
At an initial review students outline the skills gained from their degree, identify their career goals, and agree a plan of action with their mentor. This ensures their skills are utilised during their placement, provides focus and direction and helps them on their chosen career path.
For each upcoming review period, each student’s strengths and any challenges they have encountered are identified, with new objectives set as part of an on-going review. This helps highlight any training and development needs, enabling the placement co-ordinator to implement a training plan.
The placement co-ordinator at Randox is responsible for the pastoral support of each student, and additionally, students are often paired off with a colleague in their department who helps with day-to-day support.
All Randox student placements are financially supported; they receive an employment package similar to full-time employees including paid holidays and flexible working hours.
Helping students discover their goals and objectives
At Randox we are aware of the important contribution we can make in shaping a student’s professional career, which is why placement opportunities are offered to even those in their first year of university studies, through the Randox APEX Programme.
Students are encouraged to discuss their long term career goals with their placement mentor and manager, and are encouraged to pursue their own areas of interest.
Students are often involved in novel research projects, encouraging individual thinking, ideas generation and strong confidence in their ability. These novel research projects encourage placement students to get involved in the core company projects and voice their thoughts and ideas. Working in such an environment can give placement students the opportunity to develop professional expertise in specialist areas.
The opportunity to make a real contribution
This year we were awarded with our Placement Employer Award specifically for the placement we provided for Business Student Meghan Sample.
Meghan made real contributions to Randox during her time here, and was involved in presenting a digital content marketing strategy to Marketing Management. This included strict guidelines to ensure consistency through all graphics, language used and tone of voice. She then implemented this content marketing strategy via mail-campaigns, social platforms, web pages, insightful clinical market articles and whitepapers.
The results of Meghan’s digital content marketing strategy helped her and her team understand her value and the value of her work to the organisation. Online engagement increased by a staggering 1,200%, web traffic by 256.91% and by quarter 3 of 2016, 100% of Randox RX Series sales to distributors and end-users originated from Meghan’s digital marketing campaign.
This not only gave Meghan a focus for her studies upon her return to university but a real understanding of how academic learning is put in to practice in the working world. This project enabled her to find her passion and decide what area of work she wanted to pursue.
Letting students know that they’re doing well
We really value that students require support and encouragement and therefore we celebrate their achievements at a Student Placement Awards Ceremony, in which exceptional students who have worked hard, made outstanding contributions to the company, and excelled in general during their placement year are formally recognised. This furthermore instils pride and self-esteem in the students that will encourage the continuation of their hard work and determination.
Meghan Semple joined Team Randox in September 2015 as a Marketing Placement student from Ulster University Business School, and left Randox as our Business Placement Student of the Year 2015-2016, an accolade that recognised her achievements and contributions to the company.
An exceptional experience
The placement student experience is second to none. During their Randox placement, students are given the opportunity to be involved in ground breaking research and development, often working with pioneering technologies that are exported globally.
Being entrusted to work individually on personal projects of such high calibre means that students can set and achieve impressive goals, instilling a strong sense of professional pride early in each student’s career.
Being given their own tasks and responsibilities integrates students into the Randox workforce, performing duties of equal importance to graduate, part-time, full-time, new, and long-serving members of staff alike.
For the duration of their placements, placement students are as involved in the running of Randox as any other member of staff and their contributions make a real difference.
Students are offered exposure to staff at varying levels and are involved in presentations to Management. They are offered the same opportunities as any other member of their team, as the fresh ideas and perspectives of Ulster University students are hugely beneficial and valued by Randox. Many Randox students are offered full-time jobs upon completion of their degree, which shows the importance of Randox placements as a springboard into exciting and enjoyable careers.”
For more information about the Impact Excellence Awards, please contact randoxpr@randox.com
For information on what it’s like to work at Randox, visit http://www.randox.com/we-are-randox/ , or for current vacancies please visit http://careers.randox.com/
We Are Randox | Climbing the career ladder: full time job offer for placement student Glenny
This week we were invited to chat with Glenny Crymble, who works in the purchasing and finance department here in Randox headquarters in Crumlin. Glenny, who came to us last year as a placement student, is now employed by Randox on a part time basis as she works towards her final year studying business studies at Ulster University.
“I first joined Randox in September 2015 when I was looking for a placement opportunity as part of my degree. I heard of Randox through my University and I was able to apply through our careers’ website. It was quite hard to find a placement that was related to what I was studying so I was thrilled when I got an interview for Randox. It’s rare to get such a great opportunity to work within an international company, especially within the diagnostics industry. I know that a lot of my friends were unable to secure a placement which is such a shame because it really gives you a great insight into the working world and is a wonderful opportunity to learn and develop.
“I was a little nervous when I started because it was all quite new to me but I settled in pretty soon. I was originally supposed to be working in the logistics department but I was moved to purchasing which I was really pleased with as this is really where my interests lie. Before I started I was given some training so I was comfortable with what was expected of me. On a day to day basis I was sourcing suppliers, placing orders, putting on invoices, paying invoices, doing stocktakes, forming quotations and responding to email queries and questions.
“I know within some placement opportunities you are mainly shadowing people, but at Randox it’s been really hands on which I have loved and you really get the experience. There is also the opportunity to travel if that interests you. I was offered the opportunity to do a little work in Manchester and other colleagues worked at times in Poland, Korea, India and the USA.
“Purchasing was quite a fast paced environment to be working in especially with the opening of the new state-of-the-art Randox Science Park in the former Massereene Barracks. There were floods of orders coming in from the labs which involved a lot of hard work and great teamwork but it was such a good experience and I really learnt a lot from the people around me. Everybody was really helpful and friendly from the moment I started.
“Now I’m working in the finance department. There is a great atmosphere – everyone gets along with one another and we all have a good sense of humour. It’s an open plan office with lots of windows the whole way around so when I first started they told me they call it the fish bowl office as everyone looks in at us which was quite funny. I am really enjoying it so far and now that I have had experience working in the two different departments I know I prefer the finance side of things. I think it get it from my dad as he’s an accountant and a lot of my family work in finance. My main tasks include working on financial statements, evaluating assets and grant work which involves putting in claims for R&D projects.
“Currently I’m deciding whether or not I want to undertake my accountancy exams to become a chartered accountant. The team have really encouraged me to do so as they have such high aspirations for me so I feel more confident in myself and my manager helped me a lot with my placement report.
“I was delighted when Randox asked me to stay on a part-time basis as an Account Executive after my placement year was up- it was a great surprise. I work two days a week now and Randox are really flexible if there is a day that I can’t work due to university commitments.
“I think my placement year helped confirm that I prefer working in finance and helped me pick my optional modules for final year. I picked accountancy modules including financial sector accountancy and total quality management because I knew from working at Randox that I would enjoy these the most. I think if I hadn’t have got a placement I would have been unsure which avenue of work to go down. My placement also really helped me with my dissertation in terms of financial terminology, balance sheets and financial statements. It was based on the Tesco accountancy scandal which was very interesting.
“I would definitely recommend Randox to other placement students, it’s a great place to work. They also have a graduate program for people who have only just graduated. It is rotational, so if like me, you are unsure which avenue you want to pursue, it allows you to work within the different departments to see which you enjoy the most.
“Each year they hold an awards ceremony for placement students, with the top three placement students from each discipline including science, engineering and business being rewarded for their outstanding contributions. I was lucky enough to be one of the nominees last year. It’s great that the company recognises the work that placement students do and you feel a sense of pride working for Randox.
“Once I graduate in June I am going to continue to work with Randox full time so I am excited to start my career. It’s been a great learning curve, I feel that I have become more confident and I hope that I can continue to learn and develop with Randox throughout my career.”
If you are interested in joining our global team make sure that you check out Randox careers website to see what new opportunities we have for you.
#WeAreRandox
We Are Randox | Kathleen Keery named Randox Employee of the Year 2016 at the 3rd Annual Manufacturing Awards Dinner
Randox Packing Department Team Member Kathleen Keery has been named Randox Employee of the Year 2016.
Her award was announced on Friday 24th February 2017, when 139 staff from 34 manufacturing departments of Randox gathered together at The Templeton Hotel in Templepatrick, to connect with colleagues and celebrate the success of their teams at the annual Randox Manufacturing Awards Dinner.
John Campbell, Senior Manager began the evening with his opening address, and thanked all attendees for their hard work;
“Each year our manufacturing department grows in strength and this is thanks to the people working in it. I am proud to be standing here to recognise our collective capabilities as a team and to celebrate our hard work – with good food and great company.”
Lean Co-Ordinator, Mark Campbell then shared an overview of the year’s manufacturing successes, and looked forward to the activities for the year ahead.
On the night, the following awards were presented:
- Employee of the Month October 2016 was awarded to Jeanette Robb within our Packing Department.
- Employee of the Month November 2016 was won by Lisa McHendry of our Conjugate / Antibody Production Team.
- December 2016’s Employee of the Month was Gareth Bushe of Randox Speciality Controls.
- The Randox Logistics Department was then named as Department of the Year 2016.
Following the presentation of these awards, all attention turned to Senior Manager John Campbell to announce the prestigious Employee of the Year Award 2016.
We are delighted to be able to share that this award went to Kathleen Keery of our Packing Department.
Kathleen commented;
“I am beyond proud to be able to say that I am Randox Employee of the Year 2016. I work in such a talented and hard-working team at Randox, so I know there must have been fierce competition! It was an incredible honour to be able to receive this award surrounded by my colleagues and friends and I would like to thank everybody who has congratulated me over the past number of days. All the work we do at Randox is truly a team effort and so my award is as much for my team members within the Packing Department as it is for me. I wouldn’t be able to do my job without them!”
John Campbell closed the night by congratulating Kathleen, and the Logistics team;
“I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate our award winners this evening – particularly the Logistics Team and Kathleen Keery – and to thank you all for the important part you play in making Randox a global leader in the diagnostics industry – manufacturing our products that we distribute all over the globe. Let’s look forward to an exciting and prosperous 2017 together, and I hope you enjoy the evening!”
For more information about the Manufacturing Awards please contact Randox PR by email: randoxpr@randox.com or phone 028 9442 2413
We Are Randox | Randox Placement Student Meghan Semple receives Ulster Business School Excellence in Placement Award
At Randox we take pride in the high calibre of placement students we have as part of our team.
Not only do our students develop their business knowledge and acumen while they work here, they also grow personally during their year with us.
The acquisition of skills including time management, problem-solving and professional conduct goes hand-in-hand with the development of confidence, self-esteem and assertiveness.
And just as our students benefit from their times spent with us, so too do we as a modern and innovative healthcare company benefit from the fresh perspectives and forward-thinking ideas our students bring to Randox.
These students make real and valued contributions to our global organisation, and no one seems to demonstrate this better than our Business Placement Student of the Year 2015-2016, Meghan Semple.
Meghan joined Team Randox in September 2015 as a Marketing Placement Student from Ulster University Business School.
Fast forward just over a year, and Meghan has received a Highly Commended Marketing Award from The Ulster University Business School, at the Excellence in Placement Awards, as recognition of the contributions she has made to Randox!
Speaking at the Excellence in Placement Awards, she explained why.
“When I joined Randox last year I was appointed a Marketing role in the RX Series, which are Randox’s range of clinical chemistry analysers.
“For the first few weeks in my new role I spent time getting to know the brand, and making sure to gain an in-depth understanding of its key communication channels and messages.
“The RX Series was already present online in the form of a website, social media platforms, and through various mail campaigns. However, I identified the company’s potential for higher engagement and better recognition as a leading technology brand, by conducting some competitor analysis and thoroughly researching our own perception amongst our target audience.
“This resulted in an opportunity to present a content marketing strategy to Marketing Management. This included strict guidelines to ensure consistency through all graphics, language used and tone of voice. I also managed the implementation of this content marketing strategy via mail-campaigns, social platforms, web pages, insightful clinical market articles and whitepapers.
“In November 2015 my strategy was implemented, increasing online engagement by a staggering 1,200%. We also increased our web traffic by 256.91%. By quarter 3 of 2016, 100% of RX sales to distributors and end-users came from my Digital Marketing campaign.
“My work within the RX Series holistically changed the face of the brand, and for my efforts I was awarded the Pinnacle Business Placement Student of the Year award from Randox.”
Eamon Lenehan, Global Marketing Manager from Randox, commented;
“The effect Meghan had on the RX Series business is extremely impressive given the short time she was with us. Her input in to our online presence cannot be underestimated and her dedication to increasing our band awareness has had a considerable impact on the Randox brand.
Our digital presence has never been stronger, and that is thanks to Meghan. Her creation of creative and original content as well as her collaboration across all channels has truly injected a new lease of life in to the RX Series and subsequently in to the Randox brand as a whole.”
We are extremely grateful to Meghan for all her hard work during her placement year at Randox and are equally proud of her achievements at the Ulster University Business School Excellence in Placement Awards.
The positive changes seen throughout the company are testament to the value of student placements and we are proud to be a key student employer within Northern Ireland. In fact, this year, we had our largest ever intake on our placement and graduate programmes, with 71 new team members having started work with us in September.
And it’s easy to see why so many students and graduates choose to come to Randox.
Meghan continued;
“There is only so much you can learn within the walls of your university classroom. What’s most important is putting that knowledge and learning in to practice in a work environment. When I started Randox I had 2 years of university studies under my belt, but I still hadn’t decided what area of marketing I wanted to go into.
“From working in Randox I have found my passion. The team there were so supportive – their trust and encouragement is what enabled me to get so involved in the company’s digital marketing activities.
“With their guidance I was truly able to make a huge impact within the RX Series brand and I felt as much a part of the team as the full-time members of staff.
“I would highly recommend taking a placement year with Randox. There is no better way to learn how a global organisation operates than to work in one, and I am confident that my time there will help me secure a full-time job when I graduate. If I could do my year with Randox all over again, then I would!”
Congratulations Meghan, we’re delighted to have been able to join you at your awards ceremony yesterday!
For more information about the Excellence in Placement Awards, or about placement opportunities at Randox, please contact randoxpr@randox.com
Make sure to follow Randox on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date with the hashtag #WeAreRandox for more stories about the amazing team we have here!
Pictured at the Ulster University Business School Excellence in Placement Awards are;
(L-R) Randox Global Marketing Manager Eamon Lenehan, Randox Business Placement Student of the Year Meghan Semple and Randox Human Resources Officer Jolene Jamison.