Reading: RSSL on the benefits of winning a top award

A winner at the 2019 Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards, Jacinta George, managing director at Reading Scientific Services Limited (RSSL) describes the positive impact of securing a top award. Reading Scientific Services Limited (RSSL) is a cutting edge Contract Research Organisation that boasts over 30 years of scientific experience. It offers research, analysis and consultancy to food, life science and consumer goods businesses, across a range of SMEs and all the top 15 global pharmaceutical and FMCG companies. The RSSL team are leaders in their field, serving over 3,000 clients from across 60 countries with a range of offerings such as creating new products, validating medicines or solving investigations.

What made you enter the Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards last year?

At RSSL, we have strived for excellence in science and service for over 30 years. This translates to everything we do as a company, extending well beyond the laboratory to our work we carry out in the wider community. We are proud of RSSL, what we stand for as a company and our team’s commitment which has led to our continued success. We wanted to enter an award scheme that would recognise our hard work and achievements, and believed the ‘Business of the Year’ category for the Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards was a great fit.

What kind of recognition have you received since winning the award?

Even though the Thames Valley Business Magazine Award win was showcased on our website and social media platforms, we didn’t enter to boost our marketing efforts. Instead, we used the win to send positive messages to employees internally, letting them know that their company’s success was recognised and rewarded. Everyone at RSSL felt incredibly proud to win, and appreciated the fact that they had contributed to that success.

How has winning the award benefited your company?

It’s safe to say that the Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards gave a morale boost to everyone at RSSL. In fact, returning to our teams the next morning after the award ceremony is one of the best moments of my career! Each member of the RSSL team was extremely proud and the atmosphere was amazing. To celebrate the win, we also decided to give our employees an extra day holiday, to say thank you for their continued support and great work.

Is there any advice you would give to businesses wanting to enter the awards this year?

My biggest piece of advice would be, if you believe your company has something special and something to shout about, you should go for it! When drafting the award submission, it’s also important to be as transparent and honest as possible because the extensive interview process will highlight if this is genuine or not. Overall, put yourself and your company forward, as winning is a feeling like no other - it’s worth it.

The Business of the Year category was sponsored by law firm Gateley.