Not content with a Deloitte top five regional placing, Abcam went one better in December by securing a top 20 position in Deloitte’s National Fast 50. The award came at the end of what was an incredible year, even by Abcam’s standards. Four major business awards had been secured, a move to larger premises in Cambridge was completed and the company’s first overseas office was opened in the US. In addition, distribution networks in expanding markets such as South Korea, Taiwan, China and Japan were established. In-house production and supplier relationships were also overhauled to meet the increase in demand for Abcam’s 6,900 products that were sold directly to over 60 countries.

In the widely respected Sunday Times Arm Tech Track league table for 2003, Abcam secured 13th place nationally for fastest growing unquoted technology companies.

Having narrowly missed out on top honours in 2002, Abcam went one better in 2003 by wining the Small Business category at Cambridge Evening News’ Business Excellence Awards. Against tough opposition across the eastern region, Abcam showed the imagination, innovation, product quality, customer service, marketing and management skills required to make it stand out from the other eleven companies nominated in the same category.