A new pharmaceutical sciences cluster could be emerging on Winnersh Triangle as one of its latest occupiers, M2M Pharmaceuticals Ltd, bangs the drum for the sector and the business park, as it looks to expand.
M2M Pharma’s founder, Dr Mridul Majumder, is passionate about his work and his industry and believes there is a big opportunity for a centre of excellence to be developed locally and hopes to act as an advocate for pharmaceutical sciences.
M2M Pharma was established seven years ago with a motto of helping clients develop better medicines which are safer, faster and economical by using research-based techniques that are developed at M2M Pharma. The company strapline says it’s dedicated to ‘Delivering Quality Science on Time’.
A man on a mission, Mridul has already spread the word of the park’s potential, encouraging several other companies to look at Winnersh, believing Frasers Property is open to the possibility of working with occupiers to build their businesses.
“While being in a cluster isn’t essential for my business, I can always see the potential and to develop a new scientific community would be hugely beneficial for the area.”
Driven by his ‘can do’ attitude and positive mindset, he says he tries to come to work every day with the same vibration, striving to make his business a success.
This dynamic attitude is clearly paying off, with the turnover of his company growing by nearly 70% from the previous year employing five people, with an ambition over the coming years to employ a further 10.
“During Covid we only had two employees, so our growth trajectory over the past couple of years has been significant. We’re really beginning to become the company of choice for our specialist area – Material Characterisation.” Says Mridul.
Investing for the future, his new 2,600 sq ft facility includes a cutting-edge material science and product development laboratories and room to accommodate new people and equipment. He says to set up an equivalent lab would cost some £2 million.
Drawing on the rich talent pool of the M4 Corridor, famous for its pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and biological sciences, Mridul and his colleagues, find Winnersh Triangle is easy to commute to from his Reading home, where he lives with his wife and teenage daughter.
Originally from Bangladesh, Mridul is well connected in the pharmaceutical business and an honorary lecturer at the UCL School of Pharmacy, London, where he studied for his MSc drug delivery on moving to the UK in 2002. In 2005, he moved to Reading and did his PhD on Drug Delivery from University of Reading.
“I keep in close touch with the UCL and University of Reading and will look to recruit from students in the coming years. Young people bring energy and motivation to a company, and I look for people who reflect my positive mindset and dynamic “can do” attitude.
“I always come to work with a constant vibration and look for people with the same passion and determination in what they do, to deliver quality science on time. The team we have here is like a family. We spend a lot of time together and it’s important everyone feels appreciated across the company, whatever their position.”
Networking is an important component of M2M Pharma, so we welcome the regular opportunities Winnersh Triangle has across the business park to enable occupiers to meet up and get to know each other, although he readily admits he needs to get out and explore more.
“The working environment and having access to amenities is important when you employ people and the business park offers facilities that we need to explore more as we settle in here.
The next person they want to recruit is in new business development. We’re looking for someone for whom networking comes naturally and has the energy to travel and attend conferences and seminars.
‘We attract international as well as UK clients, for which the onsite Crowne Plaza hotel has been very useful for, when people stay over on visits to our facilities. I believe we have a bright future ahead of us and Winnersh is the base from which our business will grow further.”
