Scottish
pharmaceutical business Cheemia is continually growing after receiving support
from Business Gateway.
The business works with
Pharmaceutical clients looking to supply the NHS. It provides knowledge and
facilitates connections, to create relationships that generate efficiency
savings for the NHS while increasing patient access to quality medicines.
Established in 2017 after
founder Mehrnaz Campbell – a former Nurse who has worked within the
pharmaceuticals industry for 28 years - had an idea to channel her medical
expertise into an independent consultancy service.
She contacted Business
Gateway for advice and support where she was able to refine her business
strategy, get advice on funding and access the ‘Gateway to Investment’
programme, which focuses on equity funding and investment and helps build the
skills and confidence required to pitch and negotiate with investors.
Business Gateway also
facilitated several introductions for Mehrnaz including access to the Women in
Business programme, allowing her to meet other business owners and field
experts, which have been critical for developing and expanding her
network.
Cheemia has grown from an
independent start-up to a successful multi-award-winning business and Mehrnaz,
who now operates the business remotely from the United States, plans to expand
the business globally.
During the CV19
pandemic, Mehrnaz created and launched a remote sales engagement training
platform, Cheemia ReSET to help pharmaceutical sales teams to adapt to remote
working and gain confidence in using digital channels.
She worked closely with
Business Gateway accessing support through DigitalBoost, Scotland’s national
digital upskilling programme delivered by Business Gateway, to get 1:1 support
from a digital specialist to develop the website, design and digital marketing.
This has already resulted in
significant growth for the business, allowing Mehrnaz to grow her team and sell
the training platform globally.
Mehrnaz has since reached the
finals of the Scottish AccelerateHer Awards 2022, and Cheemia ReSET was awarded
an #SMEstage winner at the ‘Can Do Innovation Summit’ 2022, recognising the
impact of its innovative approach in the industry.
Mehrnaz Campbell, Founder
and CEO of Cheemia, said: “After a long career in the
pharma industry, I spotted an opportunity to build connections and help
multiple businesses succeed by operating independently. Starting on your own
can be daunting with so much to consider, so the support of Business Gateway
has been vital.
“I was always keen to keep
expanding Cheemia and lockdown provided an opportunity to diversify our
offering, launching Cheemia ReSET to meet the needs of the Pharmaceutical Sales
teams and support them with adoption of digital channels. The cloud-based system
has been a great success, winning ‘Top Remote Work Tech Solution Provider’ at
the CIO Applications Europe Awards 2021, and has been an important tool for our
global growth.”
Lindsey Sibbald, Business
Gateway Adviser, said: “It is fantastic to be able
to work with a unique business that identified a gap in the market and to have
witnessed its growth. I’m pleased to see how far Cheemia has come over the
years and we look forward to working with them for many more.
“For anyone looking to start
up on their own, Business Gateway boasts a range of services, such as 1:1
business advice, access to market reports and a research service, specifically
designed to help you get on your way, giving you the skills and tools required
for a successful business model.”
For more information about
Business Gateway start-up services, please visit https://www.bgateway.com/our-services