CIA Company of the Year

About the award

The winner of this Award is, in the view of the judges, the most outstanding CIA member company – demonstrating growth of its business and a sustained contribution to the UK economy.
Already winners of 2 awards on the night, GSK demonstrated continued growth in these challenging times as well as impressive investment in their UK sites. This investment is across the board from production, new state of the art R&D facilities to clean energy. Please give a loud cheer for GSK, the CIA Company of the Year.

GSK has made significant strides in various areas over the past two years; focusing on capital investments, production volume growth, employment stability, export growth, and maintaining a safe and environmentally friendly workplace.

GSK has committed to investing over £200 million in capital maintenance and improvements across its UK supply network over the next two years. This includes a £65 million investment in a new Oral Solid Dose (OSD) operations facility at the Ware site, which will support the future R&D pipeline and Specialty Portfolio. Additionally, GSK has entered into a twenty-year Power Purchase Agreement to build and maintain a 28MW solar and wind turbine facility at the Irvine site, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint by around 10,000 tonnes annually. Significant investments have also been made at the Barnard Castle site, including £92 million in new manufacturing technology, £14 million for Cabotegravir, and £20 million in a high-speed device assembly line.

GSK has seen notable growth in its production volumes over the past two years. Vaccines have grown by 24%, driven by the successful launch of Arexvy in the US and strong uptake of Shingrix in International and Europe. Specialty Medicines, excluding COVID-19 solutions, grew by 15% in 2023, reflecting continued growth in the HIV portfolio and acceleration in Oncology and Respiratory/Immunology. General Medicines also saw a 5% growth, driven by strong demand for Trelegy and Anoro.

GSK has experienced significant growth in its exports. Sales for the Augmentin brand grew by 17% in 2023, with International Markets accounting for 70% of the volume. Trelegy, the most prescribed single inhaler triple therapy (SITT) treatment worldwide for COPD and asthma, saw strong growth of 29% in 2023. Seretide/Advair also showed a 1% increase in sales growth, primarily due to favourable US pricing. 

GSK reported no significant EHS incidents over the last two years. The company has focused on safety leadership training, embedding Life Saving Rules, and adhering to EHS standards. The external risk environment remains stable, and manufacturing sites are operating at full staffing levels.

GSK delivered a strong performance in 2023, with total sales of £30.3 billion, a 5% increase, and adjusted operating profit growth of 12%. This growth was driven by strong sales excluding COVID-19 and higher royalty income. Vaccines sales grew by 25%, with Shingrix contributing £3.4 billion and Arexvy £1.2 billion. Specialty Medicines sales, excluding COVID-19, grew by 15%, with HIV sales increasing by 13%. General Medicines sales grew by 5%.