Reading: Porterhouse receives Queen’s Award for Enterprise

Reading-based Porterhouse Medical was honoured with a visit from the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire James Puxley who presented the company with a crystal bowl commemorating its Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

Puxley said: “Your company is one of seven in Berkshire this year to have received such an award. A previous prime minister has said that winning companies are standard bearers for very best of British business.”

The Queen’s Award for Enterprise, the UK’s highest accolade for success in business, was made in part in recognition of Porterhouse Medical achieving rapid overseas sales growth, from little more than £500,000 in 2013 to over £2 million in 2015.

Brian Parsons, co-founder and joint managing director, said, “It’s thrilling that all the hard work put in by our staff over the past few years has been recognised in this way. We always strive to provide our clients with service levels that go beyond normal expectations. This is why they keep coming back to us and it’s also why the growth in overseas trade has been so spectacular.”

In a red-letter month for Porterhouse Medical, the company also announced that it had received the Investors in People (IIP) accreditation at the Silver Level. IIP accreditation is an internationally-recognised and rigorously-assessed performance framework that demonstrates a company’s commitment to staff training and development. Organisations which meet the world-recognised IIP Standard reflect the very best in people-management excellence. Currently accreditation is held by 14,000 organisations from 75 countries.

Alison Washer, Porterhouse Medical’s operation director, said, “Receiving IIP accreditation is testament to the hard work we’ve put into staff development over the past several years. Successful accreditation against the IIP Standard is the sign of a great employer, an outstanding place to work and a clear commitment to sustainability.

Porterhouse Medical, a medical communications company, was established in 2002 by Brian Parsons and Jon Hallows. Medical communications agencies act at the interface between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals. The company employs over 40 staff and had an overall turnover (overseas and domestic) of £3.6m in 2015. The company is a powerhouse of intellectual endeavor: most employees are university educated, many with further degrees.

Jon Hallows, co-founder and joint managing director, said: “Porterhouse’s values make the company a great place to work. These focus on concepts such as sharing, passion, humour and entrepreneurship. And we never lose sight of the fact that ultimately what we are trying to do is help patients, which is summed up in our mission statement – ‘Developing a shared vision with our partners to deliver programmes to improve patients’ lives’.”