About us
Read about Hoeford and meet the team
Our Mission
We support
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Vaccine researchers and manufacturers
- Biopharmaceutical startups and their investors
- Chemical and agrochemical manufacturers
by providing trusted services for the essential work of ensuring products intended for human use meet regulatory safety requirements.
With a heritage strongly rooted in scientific excellence, we have carried out this mission for almost 60 years.
Our Heritage
Much as today's tech giants began as garage startups, Bill set up a makeshift toxicology laboratory in a garden shed which subsequently grew into a full-service microbiology and toxicology testing facility - Wickham Laboratories.
The company eventually acquired the former Pfizer laboratory at Hoeford Point on England's south coast to accommodate its scientific teams and serve its global client base.
In 2021 the microbiology laboratory business was acquired by private equity interests and remains on the iconic waterside location. Hoeford Research was established to carry forward the toxicology business with its established commitment to safety and reputation for scientific excellence.
Our Team
Bill established Hoeford Research to manage the in vivo toxicology testing and analysis business of Wickham Laboratories which he founded in 1962.
A Bachelor of Veterinary Surgery and a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Bill was an early pioneer of testing and analysis services for the life sciences industry, pivoting the business towards the convergence of agribusiness, chemicals, human healthcare and pharmaceuticals to create a brand that would become recognised for scientific and technical excellence, and the ability to tackle the most complex testing challenges.
Bill passed away aged 97 in late 2024, a very active Chairman of the Board.
Rupert was appointed to the Hoeford Board of Directors after serving as an Executive Director at Wickham Laboratories and overseeing the turnaround and acquisition of its microbiology business by private equity interests in 2021. At Hoeford he is positioning the business for growth and expansion.
Rupert is an engineer, accountant and business transformation manager. He has worked internationally in industry and private equity as interim management, restructuring agent, forensic accountant and invests for over 30 years, assisting businesses undergoing transitional change, particularly during acquisitions, mergers and critical situations.
Rupert also serves as Managing Director of business transformation advisory PurserCooper.
Graeme was appointed to the Hoeford Board of Directors after serving as a Director at Wickham Laboratories and overseeing the acquisition of its microbiology business by private equity interests in 2021. He structured Hoeford Research Limited as the entity to take over Wickham's toxicology business, ensuring regulatory compliance and continuity of laboratory services.
During Graeme's 40-year career as a corporate solicitor he and has counselled boards and company owners as a Board Director, Advisory Board Member, Chairman and more recently as a qualified Non-Executive Director. He specialises in guiding mid-market businesses, non-profits and academic organisations through rapid growth and scale-up strategies.
Graeme currently serves as Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Portsmouth, Director of a waste recycling company, consultant to the Government's Help To Grow programme and a member of the Association of Business Mentors.
Debbie leads the management of professional, scientific, organisational, administrative and training requirement for Hoeford and ensures capacity is maintained to serve customer requirements and growth.
Debbie is the company's first Head of Operations, having transferred from Wickham Laboratories which she joined in 1989 as a junior Technician, progressing to Section head in 1989 and Laboratory Manager in 2006. Debbie is an experienced Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer (NACWO) and Home Office Personal Licence Holder under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. In addition to scientific work producing and refining methodologies for potency assays, she has led a number of organisational initiatives at the company, including relocating the laboratory to its current site in 2012 and transitioning the former Wickham Laboratories business and clients to Hoeford in 2021 when the former was acquired by private equity interests.
Debbie is highly-regarded by colleagues and clients as an essential part of the company's scientific and operational heritage, ensuring excellence across the systems and processes that support and accelerate testing projects and deliver reliable results.
Shona leads Hoeford's Quality Assurance to ensure best-in-class governance, rigorous compliance, operational performance and continuous improvement. She is a qualified Lead Assessor, Quality Management System Auditor, Internal Auditor and a member of the Chartered Quality Institute.
Shona has over 20 years of Quality compliance expertise gained from increasingly senior positions in the Public Sector, Civil Service and National Health Service. She has designed, implemented and managed Quality Management Systems in accordance with numerous ISO standards, such as Testing & Calibration, Inspection, and Information Security, along with Medicines and Health products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) and Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulations and standards.
Adept at translating regulatory and statutory requirements into operational effectiveness, Shona is also responsible for aligning Hoeford's Quality Assurance programme with the company's strategic vision and business needs to ensure services meet demanding standards and deliver trusted results.
Shellie oversees a team of scientists and technologists, working closely with the board of directors to develop Hoeford’s scientific service offering. She has a BSc Hons from Bournemouth University, and an MPhil from the department of neuroscience at the University of Southampton.
Shellie joins Hoeford from PelGar International where she was Group Technical Manager for formulation chemistry, rodenticide R&D, and insecticide testing on crawling and flying insects. She began her career as a technician at Wickham Laboratories where she held increasingly senior positions culminating in her appointment as Section Head of In Vitro Toxicology and Projects, overseeing client research projects while pursuing the development of in vitro alternatives to in vivo toxicology testing. At Wickham Shellie also gained valuable experience of medical device testing to ISO 10993 certification as well as working as a Home Office Project Licence Holder under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
In addition to her scientific credentials Shellie is a Prince2 Project Management Practitioner, giving her a unique perspective into project design and management, and the continual improvement of project delivery for Hoeford’s clients.
Alastair leads the commercial aspects of Hoeford's growth, identifying partnerships and opportunities that are aligned with the company's goals and deliver results that are within budget, specifications, and on time.
In senior positions at global marketing communications agencies he has built client servicing teams that focus on business outcomes as drivers of impactful sales and marketing strategies. He has led cross-border assignments across industry sectors and regulatory regimes including life sciences, ICT and financial services and is adept at demystifying complex concepts to meet the commercial needs of clients.
Prior to joining Hoeford he was a member of the consulting team that facilitated the successful sale of Wickham Laboratories' microbiology business to private equity interests in 2021.
Alastair is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts.