Shrewsbury entrepreneur seals Chinese venture
An entrepreneur has secured a new venture for his business in China, marking the culmination of a long-running effort to build business in the country.
Chris Wright of Shrewsbury is chief executive of Therapyaudit, which has specialised in digital medical software for the NHS throughout the UK for the past 15 years and will now be exporting its products and services to the Far East.
Next year the company will be opening an office in Guiyang, capital of the Guizhou province in south China, as the local government launches a huge initiative with grants and funding for a high technology health care park to help improve health and prosperity in the region.
Mr Wright said: “This has been a very long term project as it was essential to build up strong relationships before attempting to attract business. However, our association with data healthcare experts Nine Health Global and our proven record of working with the NHS in the UK has secured involvement with this very exciting initiative.
“In China we will be launching our new software system termed Beetroot – called that simply because it is a memorable name – which is a digital health service for people living with diabetes, providing remote monitoring and lifestyle coaching for the benefit of both patients and clinicians. The Chinese project will run alongside similar trials being held in the North East of England.
“The help provided by the Department of International Trade, both in the Far East and here in Shropshire, has been invaluable as China is such a complicated and delicate market to gain entry to, but having such vital contacts and support has given us a soft landing to export to the country.”
Gerald Whitworth of the Department for International Trade, based at Shropshire Chamber of Commerce in Telford, added: “For such a small company to gain access to the Chinese market with innovative technology is a great success, as it can indeed be a very formidable and complicated process.
“We are delighted to have offered support, both locally and in China, and will be providing on-going guidance to Christopher and his team as Therapyaudit moves forward. This highlights another success story and is an excellent example of a small but forward-thinking Shropshire business chasing very distant markets."
