5 Minutes With Scott Gibson
Lab Innovations
🧪 The UK’s only trade exhibition to unite the entire laboratory industry.
This week, we’re fortunate to spend 5 minutes with Scott Gibson, an experienced Lab & Consumables Sales Manager at Getinge , where he’s been for over 5 years. Scott is an expert in decontamination equipment and consumables for laboratories, with a strong background in scientific refrigeration and a deep understanding of lab equipment and distribution in research environments.
Scott will be giving a talk at the Liva Lab Theatre on Day 1 at 11 am, sharing tips and ideas on how to run your laboratory washer more sustainably and efficiently, without compromising the cleanliness of your labware.
Ready, set, share!
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Can you give us an insight into your career path and how you ended up working within the lab industry?
Science was always my favourite subject in school, but unlike many of my peers, I chose to leave full-time education at 18 and started working in a quality control laboratory. It turned out to be the right choice - I was earning rather than building up debt, and more importantly, gaining valuable work experience while studying part-time for a degree in chemistry. Sales wasn’t on my radar until I turned 30 and began thinking about a future outside of the lab. At the time, I was working for a start-up making light-emitting polymers based on technology from Cambridge University. After interacting with several salespeople, I realised it was a career path I wanted to explore. Soon, I found a role with a manufacturer selling plastic consumables, and later I joined a well-known distributor that I knew from my lab days. I felt much more at home in sales, even winning an award for Salesperson of the Year! Now, with 24 years of sales experience and the last 5 years at Getinge, my bench science days are behind me. I do miss aspects of the lab, but my passion now lies in providing consultative sales advice to help customers choose the right equipment for their needs.
What is something that keeps you motivated within the industry or what influences your decisions on how you work?
I always approach sales the way I would want to be treated as a customer. My goal is to leave every customer confident that I’m offering the best solution for their organisation’s needs. Laboratory equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. Some are cutting-edge, drawing more attention, while others, like lab washers, are well-established and often go unnoticed until they need replacing. My motivation lies not only in supporting customers purchasing new equipment but also in helping them make the most of it over time. Presenting at Lab Innovations this year is particularly exciting because it allows me to share my knowledge of lab washers and how they can help users run their facilities more efficiently and sustainably.
Where do you see either you or the future of the lab industry going?
Lab Innovations has been instrumental in highlighting sustainability, which I believe will continue to drive many developments in the near future. At Getinge, we’re committed to improving in that area as well. Additionally, cloud-based software for remote equipment monitoring will make faster response times and first-time fixes more achievable. AI is the buzzword these days, and it will be fascinating to see how it integrates into the lab space. Perhaps, in combination with automation, we’ll see lab washers of the future - ones with robotic arms loading glassware or even speaking to us… or maybe I’ve just been watching too much children’s TV!
Thank you for sharing five minutes with us, Scott!