Ahead of our next Business Forum, we sat down with Nigel Stephenson, general manager at STADA Thornton & Ross, to hear about why Huddersfield is the ideal place for the company to thrive, and what his hopes are for the town’s future.
STADA Thornton & Ross will be sponsoring September’s event, championing our theme of Health and Wellbeing Innovation. You can book your place on Eventbrite here.
STADA Thornton & Ross, part of global pharmaceutical company STADA Group, has its commercial office in Slaithwaite and a production site in Linthwaite, employing around more than 500 people. The company has operated out of the Huddersfield area for over 100 years, and is the home of major brands such as Zoflora® and Savlon®.
- Describe what your business does?
Great British brands, and Great British manufacturing is what we’re all about. Our company purpose is Caring for People’s Health as a Trusted Partner, and we deliver this through a business strategy consisting of consumer healthcare products, generic medicines and specialty pharmaceuticals. We’re very proud to be able to support Britain’s wellbeing in multiple settings, including consumer healthcare, hospital, primary care, pharmacy, and homecare.
STADA Thornton & Ross is one of the UK’s fastest-growing producers of consumer healthcare products, owning and producing trusted brands including Covonia®., Savlon®, Hedrin®, Nizoral® and Cetraben® as well as the leading home hygiene brand Zoflora®. At the same time, our proven generics and specialty medicines mean that we also support a sustainable and cost-efficient NHS, widening patient access to effective treatments.
Experience is crucial in our industry, and we’ve been caring for customers and patients since 1922. With state-of-the-art manufacturing sites in Linthwaite and near Blackpool, we’re determined to continue caring for people’s health for generations to come.
- Why is Huddersfield the ideal place for STADA Thornton & Ross to thrive?
Our roots lie deep in the local area, having been based in Huddersfield for over 100 years, and we’ve even had multiple generations of families working at the company over the decades.
And right now, Huddersfield is a town full of ambition and innovation – from the incredible University campus, through to the many exciting businesses operating across the area.
We launched the STADA Community Catalyst Fund this year, with funding and expertise on offer to help community groups in the local area. In doing so, we’ve been able to see first-hand the incredible impact that local organisations are having on people living in Huddersfield. We feel right at home in this brilliant, caring community, and we want to do as much as we can to support those living here.
- What do you like the most about being part of the business community in Huddersfield?
There’s a diverse selection of businesses in Huddersfield, ranging across sectors such as health, education and technology. The town is a hub for manufacturing and industrial companies, with multiple national and global companies choosing Huddersfield as a centre for their operations.
Huddersfield also has great transport connections to both Manchester and Leeds, with the M62 nearby, and the TransPennine Route Upgrade currently improving the rail links too.
- What are your hopes for Huddersfield 10 years from now?
I hope we continue to see fantastic projects such as the National Health and Innovation Campus (NHIC) greenlit in the future. The continued growth of the University in recent years has been exciting to watch, and the focus should now be on encouraging students to stay in Huddersfield after their education, by creating attractive employment opportunities, and putting high-quality training and development schemes in place.
The ambitious Our Cultural Heart scheme, involving the renovation of the town centre, is set to inject a new lease of life into Huddersfield’s leisure and hospitality sector, with a focus on giving people a reason to visit the town. This, alongside the refurbishment and reopening of the George Hotel will hopefully attract more visitors to Huddersfield.
Huddersfield has immense potential as a town, and deserves continued, sustained investment to ensure good jobs and quality of life for everyone here.
- What advice would you give to someone looking to set up or relocate their business in Huddersfield?
You won’t regret moving here. It’s an ambitious, community-led town, full of hard-working and smart people. From the Our Cultural Heart project, to the NHIC, Huddersfield is putting in the building blocks to secure its future growth potential, and more businesses in the town will lead to more investment, making it an even better place to be.
- What do you think Huddersfield Unlimited’s Business Forum events will bring to the business community?
It’s a chance for leaders and innovators to connect and share their thoughts on how Huddersfield can keep moving forward as a town.
As a community, it’s vital we continue to have conversations about how we can advocate for schemes and new funding that will help us all, whether that be for upskilling potential employees, or investing in new technologies.
- Are there any recommendations or local knowledge you’d like to share with a visitor?
Beyond Huddersfield itself, I’d recommend exploring the surrounding villages, whether it’s Lindley and the Manor House, or Holmfirth on the edge of the Peaks. As a keen cyclist, I recently enjoyed the peace and serenity of an early-morning ride over the hills to STADA T&R HQ in Slaithwaite. There are several good road bike climbs in the local area, including Holme Moss which famously featured in the 2014 Tour de France!
To join us for our next Business Forum, book your tickets via Eventbrite.