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In honour of Yorkshire Day 2024, we would like to take a moment to celebrate Don Whitley Scientific’s (DWS) Yorkshire roots.
Where it first began…
It all started with our chairman, Don Whitley. Born in 1929, Don Whitley first moved to Leeds in 1940 with his family. During his early career, Don worked at Leeds Maternity Hospital and Killingbeck Hospital. It wasn’t until 1976 that he and his wife, Pam, had the incredible idea to start Don Whitley Scientific in the spare bedroom of their home in Shipley. Outgrowing two head offices in Shipley, the company finally moved to its current premises in Bingley in 2018.
In 2009 Don was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree by
the University of Bradford, acknowledging a lifetime of achievements
in applied microbiology. Today, the company continues to be run by
Don’s family, with his eldest son, Paul Walton, as Managing Director,
and Don’s two grandson, Tom Walton and Joe Walton, as Service Director
and Sales Director. We now employ more than 70 people on
two continents.
We asked some members of our team what makes them proud to work
for a Yorkshire company that operates around the globe…
“What makes me proud is that my work gets seen by people all over the world at different exhibitions and events."
- Alison Davison, Graphic Designer.
"I used to believe that working in a major city further south was the only way to make a meaningful impact. I now get to live in a wonderful area close to my family and work somewhere I can help improve people's lives. Our products help facilitate ground breaking research and diagnostics in hospitals worldwide. That's pretty impactful to me." - Bethany Rooke, Marketing Coordinator.
"Yorkshire businesses can seem a long way from the bustling commerce of London but when you consider that our products are being used to find a cure for cancer, to find out what antibiotics will best cure a person in hospital, and to research all types of diseases for ways to prevent them – it makes you proud of our contribution." - Sara Hill, Production Operative.
The DWS team are incredibly proud of our collective success and will continue to be as we help facilitate the progression of multiple scientific fields. If you would like to know more about our Yorkshire-based, family-run business, browse the articles below or head over to our history overview.
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