Shameet Thakkar wins Queen’s Award for Enterprise
Recently, Shameet Thakkar (LGS 2006) was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in relation to International Trade.
This was a special day for Shameet, who was surrounded by people who had positively impacted his business over the years. This included Mr Rob Lightfoot, his old Enterprise teacher whilst at LGS, and who dressed for the occasion, wearing a pair of Loughburians cufflinks.
What is the Queen’s Award?
The Queen’s Award for Enterprise recognises outstanding achievements by UK businesses in various categories, including innovation, international trade, substantial development and promoting opportunity through social mobility.
Winners of these awards are invited to a Royal reception where they are presented with the award by one of The Queen’s representatives. Winning the aware means they are also able to fly The Queen’s Award flag at their main office and use the emblem on marketing materials and are given a Grant of Appointment and a commemorative trophy.
The International Trade Award recognises a company which must:
- have made a minimum of £100,000 in overseas sales in the first year of entry and show year-on-year growth
- proven that the organisation has achieved outstanding growth in overseas earnings relative to the business size and sector
- proven steep year-on-year growth (without dips) in overseas sales over 3 years – or substantial year-on-year growth (without dips) over 6 years
"Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise has been a great honour for my team and me at Unimed. We established Unimed with the ambition to make a difference in the world. We provide humanitarian aid and relief organisations with access to quality medical supplies enabling them to deliver essential medical treatments to those often overlooked. With this award, we continue our fight to source and supply quality health products to create a healthier world."
After Leaving Loughborough Grammar School, Shameet went to the University of Sheffield to study accounting and financial management. Shameet is now the Managing Director of Unimed Procurement Services.
Unimed Procurement Services are a renowned global supplier of healthcare products. They were set up in 2018 and focus on working within International Development space and currently supply quality healthcare products to over 25 countries. They work with partners globally to deliver on their four main principles: affordability cost, quality, reliability and timely delivery.
They work with organisations such as The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations to help them make a difference. As they continue to assist governments and organisations, it helps them to ensure that populations receive the right medical product at the correct price, as well as supporting those in need during hardships around the world, including disaster relief and humanitarian aid work in Ukraine and Lebanon.
On 19 January, Shameet and the team at Unimed Procurement Services were presented with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade by His Majesties’ Lord Lieutenant, Mike Kapur OBE. The award recognises the work that they do internationally to make healthcare as equitable, accessible and efficient as possible.
"I joined Fairfield at 7 and left LGS at 18. Loughborough taught me the value of hard work, camaraderie, and etiquette, which has helped me progress throughout my professional life. The friends that I made during my 11 years at Loughborough are still there by my side. As friends, we continue to push each other to excel in life. Several teachers helped shape my future, notably Mr Lightfoot from my Sixth Form years. To him, I say thank you for helping me find my way."