Join & Connect

Life. It takes its twists, turns and at countless stages you often look back any wonder ‘How on earth did I get here?’. Or even better the path you are taking is abruptly stopped by the opportunity to build your own. At our anniversary, Giovanna spoke to us about the moment her brother stopped her in her tracks and changed her career path forever. And it was all to do with P.

‘I became a PA at 19 and launched my own PR business at 26. At 42 the “R” disappeared, which is where the real story begins.

As a child, my brother Vincent and I were very close; routinely I would set him up for trouble and he vowed that one day he would exact a friendly revenge. When Vincent grew up to become a GP, he noticed that his female patients often returned after failed treatment for urinary tract infection. He realised that the hit and miss pee into a tube method of specimen collection was failing his patients and his ability to treat UTI.

He created Peezy Midstream, a revolutionary urine collection system that is hygienic, accurate and can save the NHS around £52 million on reduced retesting, even before the cost of repeat appointments or accurate prescribing is accounted for. With antibiotic resistance on the rise, the latter has enormous currency today.

In 2006 together we raised investment and launched Forte Medical. Vincent remained a full-time GP and company advisor. I closed my PR business to spearhead research, development, design, marketing and now sales to the NHS, private sector and more recently the USA. Vincent’s revenge has been exercised. From PA, to PR to a simple P, I have most unexpectedly and happily become a healthcare pioneer and manufacturesse.

Thank you Giovanna.