DNAfit presented with two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise by Deputy Lieutenant Sir Ian Johnston
On Monday 20th May, we welcomed the queen’s official representative for the region, Deputy Lieutenant Sir Ian Johnston, to our office to present our double win. This was an exceptionally proud moment for all of us and a milestone achievement for the company. We are one of just one of eight British organisations to be awarded in multiple categories.
Prenetics owned DNAfit proudly received the Award for International Trade, which we achieved for our significant growth overseas in 20 different global markets in just under three years. We were also presented with the Innovation Award for our cutting edge approach to research and our dynamic implementation in the health and fitness sector.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise is the most prestigious business award in the country–and we are incredibly proud to now own two!
We’d like to extend our thanks to Sir Ian Johnston for joining us on behalf of The Queen to celebrate this achievement.
Deputy Lieutenant Sir Ian Johnston’s speech
I am delighted to be here and to share with you this very special day for DNAfit, and to join you in celebrating your Queen’s Award for Enterprise — a distinction you have won for your outstanding contribution, both to International Trade, and to Innovation — and to present you with your Award on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.
This “double win” is a truly remarkable achievement. I understand that there were only seven other companies in the whole of the UK who achieved this in 2018. In fact, I have never before had the privilege of making a double award, and I have done many ceremonies in this part of London each year since I took on this role back in 2007. So really well done!
What is so special about the Queen’s Award is that it is a distinction you have all worked for and achieved together as a team. You have to be a great team to succeed at this level. And it is a distinction, if I may say, because these Awards are greatly sought after and sparingly given, even when they are awarded only in one category. In fact, this year only fifteen companies in the whole of Greater London have won this prestigious award for International Trade in 2019, and only 10 achieved this distinction for Innovation.
In achieving this level of award from our Monarch, you have won for your company even further recognition and prestige than your outstanding record already commands. You will be able to display The Queen’s Award emblem for five years — effectively giving you bragging rights for half a decade — and more importantly, demonstrating to the world your ability to meet the highest standards of excellence — standards which are central to the United Kingdom’s competitiveness and prosperity, at a time when the need for this capability could never be more important.
The conditions for success in both categories of Award are very demanding. When the Panel meets to consider recommendations for the International trade award, they look for a substantial and sustained increase in international trade, resulting in significant growth in overseas earnings and commercial success, over not less than three years, to a level which is outstanding for the products or services concerned.
Caption: Smiles all around as Deputy Lieutenant Sir Ian Johnston visits DNAfit to deliver our two Queen’s Awards
What counts is the extent to which export achievement, when examined objectively against strict criteria, turns out to be head and shoulders above the rest. Put another way, such achievement has to be striking. Your record — 600% growth in three years, and operating in twenty different global markets — is the epitome of such a success, and I congratulate all those of you whose work has gone into making this marvellous result possible.
But you also won the award for your innovation — and the same rarity factors, to which I have already alluded, apply to this award too. Your cutting edge approach to research and your dynamic implementation, in the massively important area of health and fitness, offers enormous benefits in improving the quality of life, and its longevity, on a par with some of the other great historic successes in improving human life.
And so, in recognition of your outstanding performance in the vital area of International Trade, and in Innovation, The Queen has been graciously pleased to grant Her Award to DNAfit. As you can see, there is a fine piece crystal which, on behalf of Her Majesty I have great pleasure in presenting to your Chief Executive Avi Lasarow, together with the Scroll of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in both categories of International Trade and for Innovation.
Well done to you all for this brilliant achievement of which you should be justly proud!
Sir Ian Johnston CBE, QPM DL
Representative Deputy Lieutenant for Camden
