What began as a vision by two scientists 10 years ago — to transform drug development by integrating pharmaceutical development and clinical pharmacology — has evolved into an exceptional and unique concept in pharmaceutical contract service provision.  

In 2015, Seda was founded at Alderley Park, UK, by Paul Dickinson and Marcel de Matas as a consultancy-led venture. Operating in lean start-up mode, they set out to test whether integrating clinical pharmacology and pharmaceutical development could deliver real value to biotech and other clients by guiding the development of new medicinal products for clinical evaluation. 

‘From Paul Dickinson and me sitting in the BioHub at Alderley Park with nothing but laptops, 10 years ago, to a rapidly growing contract research, development and manufacturing organisation serving customers in some of the world’s most active biotech hotspots. I’m not sure we could have imagined such a rapid evolution at that time. Thanks to all our staff, associates, collaborators, investors and business partners, for making the last decade such a success. Here’s to the next 10 years.’ – Marcel de Matas, Chief Business Officer & Co-founder

Building on the proven value of its integrated approach, in 2017 Seda expanded to provide laboratory services for the design and testing of investigation medicinal products and modelling of product performance in animals and humans to meet growing client demand. 

In 2019, Paul Stott, formerly Vice President of Global Product Development at AstraZeneca, joined Seda as CEO to lead the scale-up of its unique integrated offering – bringing deep industry experience to guide the next phase of growth. 

‘It has been an absolute privilege and the highlight of my career to be a part of the Seda journey. I am immensely proud of the team that have taken us to this point and excited about what is still to come.’ – Paul Stott, CEO. 

Expansion continued in 2020, with continued growth within the team, clients and projects, Seda moved to a larger laboratory and office at Alderley Park. 

In 2021, Oakfield HQ was acquired. To support the continued growth and long-term vision, Seda acquired a larger, purpose-built development facility at Cheadle Royal Business Park. The new Oakfield HQ provided expanded space for collaboration, innovation and project delivery. 

As part of a strategic investment for service expansion, in 2023, Seda acquired the 50,000sq ft Lakehouse building on the same campus. The investment created the space and infrastructure needed to support future capabilities and broaden the integrated development offering to include GMP manufacture and supply of investigational medicinal products into clinical trials. 

In 2024, Seda announced our expansion into GMP services, marking a major step in extending our capabilities to include clinical manufacturing. This expansion allows the company to support clients further along the development pathway, offering end-to-end continuity from early-phase strategy through to clinical supply. 

Over the years Seda has received numerous awards celebrating its innovation and impact. In May 2024, this recognition reached new heights as the company is named a winner of the King’s Award for Enterprise in the Overseas Trade category in recognition of global reach and sustained growth. 

In February 2025 Seda received MHRA approval for our GMP facility, a major regulatory milestone that enables us to manufacture clinical IMPs under licence. We proudly marked a major milestone with the launch of Seda CMS — a new investigational medicinal product manufacturing capability that completes our evolution into a fully integrated, end-to-end service delivering scientific excellence at every stage of the drug development journey. 

‘10 years, seems like 10 minutes! 10 years ago, only in our wildest dreams, might we have hoped to be working on such exciting and diverse projects that are at the cutting edge of medical innovation. So, listen to your wildest dreams!’ – Paul Dickinson, Chief Scientist & Co-founder 

 We would like to say a huge thank you to our incredible team, loyal clients, and trusted partners. You’ve been part of every step of our 10-year journey. Here’s to the next chapter – together.