A Decade in the UK: People, Partnerships and Progress

A Decade in the UK - Richard Jafrato gives his reflection on the company's success over the last 10 years.

Ten years ago, Haier Biomedical in the UK was a small idea powered by a small team, just three of us, a lot of energy, and a shared belief that we could build something that genuinely served the UK health and life science landscape.

Today, we’re 36 colleagues and counting, and I still feel the same thing I did in the early days: pride in what we’re building, and gratitude for the people who’ve made it possible.

Customers first, always

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of being involved in some remarkable work supporting research-level science, working alongside globally recognised and respected organisations and institutions, playing our part in deploying vaccine programmes, and delivering reliable products that help the NHS provide its services day in, day out.

Everything we’ve built has been guided by one simple aim: to make it easier for our customers to do vital work by being dependable, responsive, and easy to work with at every step.

Global support and local focus

Although our story is a UK one, we’ve never built it alone. We’ve been supported by colleagues across the global organisation who understood that the UK market needed more than “one-size-fits-all”; it needed true localisation and the freedom to do what’s right for customers here.

I want to say a genuine thank you to the Global team for backing us on that journey. In the early days with Mr Wang, and more recently Enrique Wang and Patrick Yang, with everyone based in Head Office – senior management, HR, Finance, Marketing, R&D and Commercial teams, have supported our growth in some way or another. Your support, trust, and guidance helped create the conditions for the UK team to grow with confidence.

The RenDanHeYi ethos has made a real difference in practice, not as a slogan, but as a way of working. It’s encouraged us to stay close to customer needs, think in terms of value and contribution, and take ownership of our improvement.

Taking time to celebrate—together

Over the last two days, we took the time to properly celebrate what we’ve achieved and that mattered. Not just to mark the moment, but to reflect on what’s worked, what we’ve learned, and what we want the next chapter to look like.

Being able to share our experiences with international colleagues and learn from them is really important for our shared success. It reinforced the “Haier Biomedical Family” ethos we believe in: when we share knowledge and help each other succeed, we move faster, and we do a better job for customers.

The people who shaped how we show up

A decade is a long time in business terms, but what stands out most are the people.

In the UK, Paula Lungmuss and Leanne Raffel were key early team members who helped shape the way we deliver what I truly believe is the best customer experience in the industry—setting standards that still guide us today.

More recently, with Cheryl Henrys-Dean and Martin Whitcher joining and Faz Ahmed advancing through the sales team, we’ve strengthened both capability and leadership. We’re in a strong position now, and what gives me confidence is that we’re aligned: focused on delivering excellence and building partnerships that last.

Expertise behind the scenes

Behind the UK team, we’ve also strengthened the depth of expertise available across the wider business.

We have amazing team members, working to provide the best customer experience, whether that’s through sales communications, marketing, product deliveries and installations or service, and I’d like to personally thank them for their hard work and dedication.

We have invested in developing talent internally. Seeing Harry Pomfret progress from a junior sales rep to an International Product Manager is a great example of that commitment.

We’ve also grown a strong global network of specialists who bring technical insight, product expertise, and real-world experience, helping us respond faster, solve problems effectively, and support customers with confidence. They're working with clients to shape the next generation of Haier Biomedical solutions, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Partners who help us deliver

We also wouldn’t be where we are without the strength of our commercial relationships. Our channel partners and our service and logistics partners play a huge role in how we deliver for customers - reliably, compliantly, and at the level our customers rightly expect.

Thank you for the trust, collaboration, and commitment to quality. We value these partnerships greatly, and we know our customers do too.

Here’s to what comes next

I’m proud of the team we’ve built and the reputation we’ve earned over the last ten years. From a small start to 36 and growing, we’ve stayed true to what matters: putting customers first, doing the right thing, and delivering consistently. 

And the best part is, we’re only getting started!

Here’s to the next chapter.

Richard Jafrato

General Manager