A South African businessman who helped set up the UK’s COVID testing infrastructure to bring back major sports and international travel during the pandemic has won the Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Johannesburg-born Avi Lasarow, who is CEO of Prenetics EMEA Ltd and lives in the UK with his wife Kelly, an equestrian enthusiast, and their children, won the award at the Kent Invicta Chamber Business Awards.
Prenetics EMEA Ltd is part of a leading global genetic testing and diagnostics company with a mission to bring health to millions of people around the world and to decentralize healthcare.
The company, which is registered in Orpington in Kent, provided COVID tests for English football, British boxing and the English cricket test for the ECB. Avi has also installed a state-of-the-art laboratory on the Greenwich Peninsula to provide faster results to consumers.
Prenetics has carried out more than six million COVID tests worldwide and provided tests at all major UK airports. It has operations in nine locations, including the UK, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, and Southeast Asia, and successfully listed on the Nasdaq in May at a $1.3 billion valuation.
Avi, who is also a Honorary Consul for Trade between South Africa and the United Kingdomworked with UK Government Department of Health and Social Care and the Competition and Markets Authority to clamp down on rogue COVID testers offering deceptively cheap prices for tests that proved to be unavailable.
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He was also invited to become a founding member of the Confederation of British Industry Health Council (IWC) – a new forum for business, government and civil society to improve health outcomes across the UK.
Avi also sits in the New NHS England Innovation Diagnostic Transformation Program Industry Advisory Groupadvising the National Health Service on future testing needs and demands.
previously released avi dnafit, one of the first companies to pioneer widely available “at-home” genetic testing in a direct-to-consumer setting. DNAFit garnered various accolades in the UK, including two coveted Queen’s Awards for Business in 2018, while also attracting investment and backing from former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand. It was later acquired by Prenetics.
Commenting on winning the award, Avi said, “It is a great honor to receive this award.
“Achieving success through entrepreneurship is not easy. It takes resilience, an exceptional team, and determination to make every day count. Throughout my own journey I have encountered countless setbacks and challenges, but the ups and downs have always far outweighed the lows.
“I am very grateful for the Prenetics team. We are a chain made up of the strongest links and we are gaining real pace and momentum in our quest to positively impact the health and lives of millions of people for years to come. There is absolutely no doubt that the best of Prenetics is yet to come.
“As we all have to cope with the post-COVID business landscape, I look forward to playing my part in supporting tech companies in South Africa and the UK. As the Chancellor said in his Autumn Statement, the life sciences sector is a huge growth area for the UK and I would like to advise other start-ups in South Africa and the UK as they embark on the path to growth. success”.
About Prenetics
Founded in 2014, Prenetics is a leading global genetic testing and diagnostics company with a mission to bring health to millions of people around the world and decentralize healthcare by making the three pillars (Prevention, Diagnosis and Personalized Care) comprehensive and accessible to anyone, at any time. time and anywhere.
Prenetics is led by visionary entrepreneur Danny Yeung, with operations in 9 locations including the UK, Hong Kong, India, South Africa and South East Asia. Prenetics Develops Consumer Genetic Testing and Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer; provides COVID19 testing, rapid point-of-care and home diagnostic testing, and medical genetic testing. For more information on Prenetics, visit www.prenetics.com.
