Meet the Team

Giedre Brandao

Managing Director

Giedre is the founding Managing Director of AbBaltis Ltd. She holds a Master’s degree in Biotechnology Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts, USA and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. Giedre started her career in the industry as a bench scientist working for companies such as Genzyme, Antigenics and GSK. She then progressed to positions in business development in the In Vitro Diagnostics sector before moving onto founding AbBaltis in 2010. In 2014 Giedre received the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce Awards and AbBaltis were a finalist for the “International Business of the Year” category.  

Additionally, under her leadership, the company received the Small Business of the Year Award at the Swale Business Awards in 2013 and a Queens Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2015. Giedre is passionate about instilling enthusiasm for future generations to join this market and is committed to investing in the local community by offering numerous student opportunities. She now lives in Sittingbourne with her husband and their four children and enjoys the life balance she achieves from owning her own business. 

Claire Richardson

Finance Administrator

Claire joined AbBaltis as a Transport Administrator. She is now a Finance Administrator working within the Finance Team. She holds a Business Admin NVQ Level 1, acquired at Carryline Worldwide Deliveries Ltd where she worked for 8 years in total before joining AbBaltis Ltd in December 2016. Her role includes processing invoices and chasing outstanding payments. She has recently participated in Bookkeeping and Quickbooks training courses. Working for AbBaltis has taught her a lot about the industry and its achievements. She enjoys working with such a hardworking and enthusiastic, friendly team of people.

Charlotte Haynes

Shipping & Packing Assistant

Charlotte joined AbBaltis in 2018 as a Shipping/Packing Assistant after completing her A-Levels. As a part-time member of the lab team, her job role consists of assisting the shipping department, especially focusing on the preparation of orders for shipments. As well as this, she helps to maintain the overall smooth running of the lab. Charlotte is grateful to be able to work with such a friendly and hardworking team

Claudia Troeger-Radu

Quality Assurance Officer

We welcomed Claudia to the team in October 2019. Claudia is helping prepare us for ISO:9001 certification, as well as making sure that all of our equipment is regularly serviced and adheres to safety standards. She will also be in charge of looking after due diligence with the suppliers we use. Prior to joining us, Claudia worked for a number of scientific businesses throughout Kent. Claudia holds a PhD in Bioprocess Engineering, an MSc in Industrial Biotechnology, and a Diplom-Ingenieur in Bio-Verfahrenstechnik (Degree in Bioprocess Engineering).

Rebekah Weekes

Sales Account Manager

Rebekah joined AbBaltis permanently in September 2020 following a 12-week internship through the University of Kent’s Employability Points scheme. Rebekah graduated with a BA Honours degree in Italian and Spanish and began by focusing on serving customers in Italy and Spain as a Sales Account Manager. She has since expanded to help customers worldwide Including Japan, China, South Korea, USA and Germany. Joining the AbBaltis team has taught Rebekah a lot about the In Vitro Diagnostics industry and she is gaining skills in delivering excellent customer service to our customers worldwide.

Gabriela Gonzalez-Otero

Business Executive

Gabi joined AbBaltis in September 2022 as an intern through the University of Kent's EP Scheme (just like Rebekah!). During her internship, she was a project manager for MEDICA, Germany's healthcare trade fair. She became an employee in November 2022, right after graduating with a Masters degree in Business and Organisational Psychology. She now works within different areas of the company such as Human Resources, Personal Assistance, Marketing, and Business Development. She loves working with such a diverse and friendly team!

Ozge Somnez

Graduate Lab Trainee

Ozge joined AbBaltis permanently in March 2023. She holds a BSc degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics and became an AbBaltis employee after completing her MSc in Biotechnology and Bioengineering at University of Kent. Ozge is now working as a Graduate Lab Trainee in the laboratory department of AbBaltis. She is mainly responsible for sample testing for orders and in-house R&D, quality assurance testing, and assisting with preparation of orders and samples for shipping.

Debbie Robinson

Shipping and Stock Control Administrator

Debbie became part of the AbBaltis team in November 2021. Previous to starting at AbBaltis Debbie held a number of positions in the last 10 years within administrative and customer service roles. Her job role consists of maintaining and updating the main stock system, daily liaising with other departments especially the laboratory, assisting with Shipping and Sourcing administration and much more. Debbie enjoys working in the Vitro Diagnostics industry and is proud to work with such a close knit team.

Imogen Montgomery

Shipping Administrator

Imogen started working at AbBaltis as a Shipping Administrator in October 2020. She has over 7 years administrative and customer care experience in a variety of fields before joining AbBaltis. Imogen takes care of processing purchase orders, creating order and sample sheets for the other departments as well as updating the project system with the weeks shipping. She also completes many of the typical office duties and enjoys working with such a hardworking and enthusiastic, friendly team of people.

Dennis Gates

Finance Manager

Dennis has had a distinguished career in the finance sector. He began his journey as a Chartered Accountant with one of the Big Four firms in London. Through hard work and dedication, he eventually run his own Small Business Unit, providing a variety of services to SME clients. From there, he went into Industry as the Financial Director of a manufacturing company. After many years, he decided to become his own boss, setting up a business providing services to SME's. Finally, in 2015, he joined AbBaltis as a Finance Manager on a part-time basis.

Megan King

Graduate Lab Technician & Shipping Coordinator

Megan joined AbBaltis in September 2022 with a BSc in Biomedical Science. Megan is part of our Laboratory team working as a Graduate Lab Technician and Shipping Coordinator. Within this role she maintains the high standards of packing our shipments and carrying out lab processes and duties. She is extremely professional and strives to ensure that all our procedures run smoothly.

Isobel Rose

Graduate Lab Technician

Bel started working with us in October 2022, she has a BSc in Medical Sciences from the University of Exeter. Bel is interested in neuroscience and is very excited to be developing her knowledge of commercial science and manufacturing at AbBaltis in her first scientific role as a Graduate Lab Technician. She works hard to up-hold the quality of all our shipments by ensuring each project is correct and completed to the highest standard.

Lia Bean

Sourcing Administrator

Lia started at AbBaltis in September 2022, with over 10 years’ experience in Admin and customer care as well as a year working within the NHS, mainly as a theatre practitioner assistant. She has been a great addition to the company. Lia works as our Sourcing Administrator procuring and evaluating material for us to stock and sell. She loves working with our enthusiastic and vibrant team.

Tanya Ahmed

Graduate Lab Technician

Tanya started working part-time at AbBaltis in August 2022. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences from Kingston University and is aiming to complete her postgraduate studies within the next few years. Her tasks within the lab involve preparing for shipping and packing, by re-dispensing the required units. She additionally helps her colleagues in any other tasks. She wishes to expand her scientific knowledge and she is eager to learn as much as she can from this experience. Tanya is grateful to work with such a lovely team!

Paige Bonner

Shipping Administrator

Paige joined AbBaltis in August 2022 as a Shipping Administrator. She works part-time and her role entails creating customs documents required for customers overseas, shipping paperwork and schedule collections with FedEx and DHL. She is a great addition to the team!

Nicole Jeffrey

Senior Lab Technician

Nicole was hired as a Senior Laboratory Technician at AbBaltis in November 2022. She holds a BSc degree in Biomedical Sciences and has prior Research and Development experience in both academic and industrial laboratories. Additionally, she has experience in Quality Control within the medical device manufacturing industry, making her well-versed in GLP and GMP. In her current role, Nicole is primarily responsible for in-house R&D and sample testing. She loves being part of such a friendly team!

Chithara Puthenpurayil

Graduate Lab Technician

Chithara joined AbBaltis in May 2023 as Graduate Laboratory Technician. She recently graduated with a Masters degree in Pharmaceutical and Analytical Science. Chithara has a passion for people's health and quality products, and is extremely grateful for being part of such a dynamic and innovative team.

Nikita Harpal

Business Development Executive

After completing a BSc degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology, Niki gained experience working within several roles in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry. Within her career she was privileged to work as a Microbiologist, R&D officer and Pharmaceutical Sales specialist. Her scientific & laboratory knowledge coupled with her passion for people created her driving force to excel in the sales field. Niki has joined AbBaltis in June 2023 and she looks forward to working with an energetic, positive and kind team. Niki feels honoured to be working for a company that believes in helping patients.

Natasha Le-Roux

Sales Administrative Assistant

Natasha le Roux joined AbBaltis during May 2023 as Admin Sales Support to further enhance the sales support functions within AbBaltis. She has outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, and has a passion for providing excellent customer service. Natasha is South African, with a strong administration, marketing, sales and human resource background. She has over 20 years’ experience rendering business support to top level executives across an extensive range of industries, not only in South Africa, but also internationally.

Martina Taddei

Technical Sales Intern

Martina commenced her tenure at AbBaltis in July 2023, assuming the role of Technical Sales Intern as part of the University of Kent's Employability Points Scheme. With a profound interest in the realm of international business, Martina's passion has been nurtured through her academic pursuits in both China and the United Kingdom. Concurrently, she is diligently working towards completing her Master's Degree in International Business and Management. By being an integral part of a dynamic and supportive team, Martina is able to enhance her technical sales acumen while simultaneously deepening her comprehension of the biotechnology market.

Austėja Drąsutavičiūtė

Technical Sales Executive

Austėja joined AbBaltis in July 2023 as a Technical Sales Executive. Her primary goal involves ensuring the successful delivery of solutions tailored to meet customer needs and objectives. Additionally, she strives to incorporate her drive for innovation into the day-to-day operations of the company. Austėja is currently finalising her degree in Export and Technology Management at the University of Northern Denmark, where she has demonstrated her exceptional team-working skills. Her educational background, along with her strong team-working skills and cross-functional knowledge, make her a valuable asset to the company.