8 Acquisition International - Issue 1 2018 Committed to providing innovative cancer care, Proton Partners International is a thriving healthcare company making great strides in the health sector. We profile the organisation and speak to its CEO, Mike Moran, about what the future holds for the company. roton Partners International was formed to respond to the growing global demand for high energy proton beam therapy. The founders had a very clear vision; to build a network of cancer centres in the UK and in international markets. The team set out to raise £100m in equity and debt to build out the first three proton beam therapy centres. Early equity investors included Woodford Funds and the Wales Life Sciences Investment Fund. The debt provision (£35m) was put in place by Shawbrook Bank which, at the time, was the largest debt provision in the Bank’s history. Taking a look into the internal culture of Proton Partners, the team has been recruited with a strategy in mind, with all staff members working towards the same mission, ensuring a thriving work environment. Everyone within the company takes tremendous pride in what it is achieving, collaborating to build an impressive network of oncology centres. Mike started out with the ambition of building a company with Excellence in mind. To achieve this, the firm developed an Excellence Model which had four pillars, with each pillar supported by a number of strategic actions. The four pillars are; Operational and Clinical Excellence, the Patient Experience, Improving Cancer Care and, Advancing proton beam therapy Technology. The two central pillars are about the patient and everything else that staff do supports them. Regarding the firm’s offerings, Proton Partners International offers a comprehensive range of services using the latest technology in cancer treatment. Looking to build a network of oncology centres known as the Rutherford Cancer Centres, the services available will include Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, Imaging, including computed tomography (CT), Positron emission tomography– computed tomography (PET-CT) from mid-2017, and from 2018, Proton beam therapy. Additionally, the services on offer at the Rutherford Cancer Centres are accessible to private patients under medical insurance, self-pay patients and patients referred by the NHS. With these exciting projects ahead, there is clearly a lot to look forwards to for Proton Partners. Company: Proton Partners International Limited Contact: Mike Moran Contact Email:
[email protected] Address: 3 Assembly Square, Cardiff, CF10 4PL, UK Phone: 2077100020 Website: www.proton-int.com Proton BeamTherapy P 1801AI09 However, as with any industry, there will always be some challenges that the company will have to overcome. This does not worry the team as they will embrace these issues and look for solutions to overcome them. Mike explains what the future holds for Proton Partners, alluding to the two building projects that the company is undertaking, as well as its new partnerships. “Having now completed our first Rutherford Cancer Centre in Newport, South Wales and with two more in the final stages of build, we have accumulated a great deal of knowledge, know-how, IP and intelligence. We are now in the position to leverage this knowledge to reduce construction lead-time and to ensure that all of our projects are delivered on time and on budget. Recently, we have signed a partnering agreement with our design team at JDDK, DESCO and Fairhurst. This has enabled us to ensure that we design out cost while maintaining quality, it also reduces significant time at the front end of the project which allows more time for the construction phase.” Alongside its Rutherford Cancer Centres, the company has a number of exciting developments in the pipeline, which will help it to continue to grow and develop a global reputation. An example of this, is that Proton Partners International will undertake a major genomics research programme at the Life Sciences Accelerator building in Liverpool (the building is the first part of a health campus that is set to surround the £335m new Royal Liverpool Hospital). Excitingly, Proton Partners International has also announced a two-year collaborative research project with The University of Liverpool to develop a new measurement system, known as a 3D Water Phantom, which will further improve the accuracy of proton beam therapy treatment. Ultimately, as the world moves forward and technology becomes more advanced, the market for proton beam therapy is rapidly evolving, and Proton Partners International will be at the forefront of the growth and will continue to invest, in centres and innovation, to maintain its position as market leaders.