A NEW era of cleanroom construction excellence is on the horizon after East Anglian contamination control experts Guardtech announced the ascension of Mark Wheeler to the role of Managing Director.

Wheeler is stepping up from the role of Commercial Director to take on the MD position, with his father and company owner Ray Wheeler becoming Chairman and Conor Barwise retaining his position as Projects Director.

The trio will continue to act as the company’s Board-level leaders, with four Associate Directors covering Commercial, Operations, Manufacturing and Finance/HR beneath them.

The move co-aligns with a strategic decision to drop the word 'Group' from the company's 'Guardtech Group' umbrella title and return to being known simply as 'Guardtech'.

Existing brands Cleanroom Solutions (large-scale turnkey), Guardtech Cleanrooms (modular specialists), Cleancube Mobile Cleanrooms (container facilities), Isopod Rapid Cleanrooms (quick-assembly pod systems), Guardware Cleanroom Hardware (furniture & equipment) and Isoblok Pre-fab Cleanrooms (pre-fabricated block systems) remain the core family of companies falling under the overarching ‘Guardtech’ umbrella.

Wheeler, who in his role as Commercial Director has helped steer the company from a turnover of around £2.5m in 2019 to a projected £25m in 2026, is excited about what the future holds for a 26-year-old family business steeped in innovation, thought leadership and exceptional delivery.

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"It's a true honour, and the next stage on a really exciting journey," said Wheeler. "Building on my father's legacy in contamination control is something dear to my heart.

"Standing alongside him and a long-standing friend in Conor Barwise, working together to oversee our evolution from a small-scale operation to one of the UK’s leading cleanroom construction companies, it's been a thrilling journey so far.

"There have been many challenges along the way, and obstacles we’ve fought hard to overcome, but driving a business that has innovation at its core, that supports ground-breaking scientific initiatives, that helps engineering firms deliver positive, life-altering change for humanity, it's incredibly special.

"I'm immensely proud of all the amazing projects we've delivered so far – and excited about what's to come as we continue to grow our family business exponentially."

Wheeler has been working in the cleanroom industry for more than 20 years. His journey began in the late 90s, learning the ropes by supporting his father Ray at cleanroom consumables supplier Guardline Technology. 

After Guardline was acquired by Micronclean, Mark continued to work for the latter in an international sales & marketing role and building on his growing knowledge of cleanroom operations before returning to work alongside father Ray at fledgling cleanroom construction company Guardtech Cleanrooms in the early 2000s.  

As Commercial Director, Mark led the business' restructure to the Guardtech Group in 2022 – a family of brands covering all cleanroom construction bases from large-scale turnkey projects to small modular pods, pre-fabricated container facilities to traditional modular cleanrooms.

As a result of that strategic restructuring, rebranding, product innovation, research & development and a persistent quest for excellence, Mark helped Guardtech grow from 10 members of staff in 2020 to 70 in 2026, with turnover rising from £2.5 million to £17.7 million last year.

"From the hard graft of those early days of Guardtech Cleanrooms through to the acquisition of Cleanroom Solutions, the relentless growth of Cleancube to the remarkable development of Isopod, we remain committed to providing world-class solutions for clients changing the world for the better.

"Leading an organisation that provides the platform for so much positive change in the world, across the wide spectrum of Life Sciences and High-Tech Engineering, is something that I’m hugely proud of, and I remain as dedicated as ever to continue our mission to become the UK’s leading provider of contamination control products and services."

For more information on Guardtech, email [email protected], call 0330 113 0303 or visit www.guardtech.com.

Image: Guardtech