Sonia Houghton

Sonia Houghton – Chief Executive Officer

There comes a time in everyone’s life where you get an opportunity you just can’t say no to….

For me, that was when my employer of 17 years, AstraZeneca, decided to rebuild a brand-new site in Cambridge and move my role there from Alderley Park. Despite AstraZeneca being an exceptional employer, with whom I have been lucky to support research projects across multiple therapy areas, from early-stage drug discovery through to supporting drug development and life cycle management, I was ready for a new challenge.

With the support of the Alderley Park Accelerator I’ve been fast-tracked into the commercial world and with the help of an amazing team and support network, I founded Cryosphere Services (rebranded in 2020 to Cryoniss).

Bench scientist by trade but someone who loves interacting with people, I am a strategic thinker who loves problem-solving. I am on a personal mission to help the scientific community improve the quality of research by providing a first-class service for the acquisition, transport, storage and handling of high-quality, ethically and legally sourced biological reagents.

My colleagues occasionally suggest I’m a tough taskmaster. I am driven to provide the best service we can to our customers. A perfectionist, a planner and very risk averse. On a personal note, I do enjoy a glass of wine.

Sonia Houghton Chief Executive Officer of Cryoniss, temperature-controlled storage of biological samples.