BUSINESS leaders have hailed Oxfordshire as an international hotspot after seven firms won Queen’s Awards for overseas trading.

The haul, reported yesterday in the Oxford Mail believed to be the county’s biggest, saw the companies take a third of all 20 international trade gongs awarded in the south east this year.

A Queen’s Awards for Enterprise is the highest honour that can be bestowed on a UK company.

Oxfordshire Business Enterprise advisor John Vernon called it “fantastic news” so many Oxfordshire firms were awarded this year.

The seven winners, announced yesterday by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, include Milton Park-based Cobalt Light Systems, which invented a device to scan liquids and gels at airports; Oxford University’s commercial arm Isis Innovation; Osney Mead-based Lambdatek, which re-sells computer and electronics equipment; and Witney-based lighting firm Original BTC.

The others are Abingdonbased pharmaceutical marketing company Oxford PharmaGenesis; Milton Park’s Zigzag Associates, which provides quality assurance and auditing services to pharmaceutical firms; and Oxford Business Park firm Zinc Ahead, which supplies software systems to pharmaceuticals firms.

All seven were launched within the past 20 years and three of them within the past 10.

Mr Vernon said: “This may well be a record for the county and it’s particularly impressive that they are all young companies showing tremendous growth.

“It underlines the fact Oxfordshire is a brilliant county for starting and expanding a business.”

Oxford PharmaGenesis managing director Dr Christopher Winchester said 90 per cent of the firm’s £10 million turnover comes from overseas sales.

He added: “It’s just fantastic to have won a Queen’s Award.

“We have been able to trade on the Oxford name, which speaks of excellence to overseas customers and being in Oxford is the best place to access the talent we need to grow our business.”

Lambdatek, which stocks 100,000 lines of computers, mobile phones, cameras and other electronics, has a £15 million turnover and 20 staff.

Founder and chief executive Dr Thomas Fellici said: “We are a reseller of computers and there are lot of resellers out there.

“The difference is we put emphasis on developing inhouse technology to automate all processes possible so that our people can go the extra mile.”

Father-and-son team Peter and Charlie Bowles run lighting firm Original BTC, which designs and makes its products in the UK, before selling them overseas.

The business has an annual turnover of £9.5 million, up from £1.4 million in 2010.

The winners

  • Cobalt Light Systems

Based: Milton Park, Abingdon

Invented device to scan liquids and gels at airports and same technology can also be used to diagnose breast cancer and brittle bone disease

  • Isis Innovation, trading as Isis Enterprise

Based: Summertown

Helps start spin-out companies from Oxford University and provides business consultancy in 50 countries

  • Lambdatek

Based: Ferry Hinksey Road, Oxford

Re-seller of computer and electronics equipment including cameras, mobile phones, TV screens and IT accessories

  • Original BTC

Based: Witney

Designs and makes light fittings, with showrooms in London and Paris

  • Oxford PharmaGenesis

Based: Abingdon

Provides marketing and writing services to pharmaceutical firms.

  • Zigzag Associates

Based: Milton Park in Abingdon

Provides assurance and auditing services to pharmaceutical and biotech industries to help them comply with industry regulations

  • Zinc Ahead

Based: Oxford Business Park Develops and supplies software systems that help life science firms comply with regulations in pharmaceutical and healthcare industries