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SUB36 By Rob Kelly
ARE YOU READY
FOR LANCASHIRE’S BIGGEST BUSINESS CELEBRATION?
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
19 JANUARY 2026 Awards ceremony:
Thursday 12 March 2026, Winter Gardens Blackpool
redroseawards.co.uk @redroseawards
#RRA26 THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
Kate Horton has seen it all in her business journey – from creating hand sanitiser during the height of Covid to now working with celebrities on perfumes and luxury products.
At 35, she is technical director at Group55 in Chorley, a role that places her at the heart of innovation in the personal care and cosmetics industry.
However, it could have been so different as she wanted to be a Crime Scene Investigator, changing course in the second year of her university course after the Forensic Science Service was privatised.
She says: “There were a lot fewer places you could go and work. I hadn’t even thought of cosmetics, but because the degree was so chemistry-based, it opened doors.”
She was given the chance of a lifetime by Group55 chairman Steve Turner to create her own lab and build a manufacturing facility.
She says: “Steve sold me a dream, and I joined on a whim – it was a pretty good whim!”
A defining moment for Kate came in 2020 during the pandemic. She says: “Hand gel and sanitiser were massive. I created, in record time, a moisturising hand sanitiser that didn’t dry your skin.
“It was distributed to the Ministry of Justice, the NHS, and industry. It supported our business
and ensured we stayed on track. It also felt great helping people. We felt we had a duty of care.”
Kate was nominated in 2020 for Lancashire Business View’s Sub36 ‘Made in Lancashire’ award by colleagues for driving Group55 forwards and her role in the pandemic.
She has vivid memories of winning the award, with the ceremony being streamed because of the Covid restrictions that were in place.
She says: “I was at my desk watching the ceremony
of opportunity often as a young chemist. Eight and a half years on, what we’ve achieved is insane.”
She adds: “I can’t see myself away from here. I want to keep developing the business.
“You have to adapt in this industry – it’s ever- changing. Working with big names and brands is the next step up.”
Kate’s success is even more remarkable given her early struggles and she is now is trying to help young generations.
I was 27 when I joined – you don’t get
offered that kind of opportunity often as a young chemist. Eight and a half years on, what we’ve achieved is insane
when I heard shouting and cheering from colleagues upstairs – they saw the result before me because of the delay on the live stream!”
Kate says the award boosted her confidence and career. “It showed I was a leader. It helped my progression.”
Kate now sits on the leadership board at Group55 and makes strategic decisions. She says: “I was 27 when I joined – you don’t get offered that kind
She explains: “I’m dyslexic, so when I was in lower school and high school, I was kind of written off as being a nice girl but not very smart.
“It wasn’t the school’s fault – it was just one of those things and I’ve proved them wrong.
“I go into colleges and primary schools and show them what I do. They see a scientist who is female.
“It’s about influencing students who might feel
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