About Us
The world needs a quantum leap in disinfectant technology.
We are providing it.
Established in 2008, RBT is managed and run by the original founders with financial backing and commercial assistance from a group of experienced private investors and supported by operational teams in production, warehousing, despatch and finance.
Our Team
Christine Brander
Executive Chair & Founder
Christine is at the heart of Residual Barrier Technology. Educated at Cranfield University and Director of the UK’s largest catering supplier, Christine now focusses her attention on finding an alternative way to protect us and our world from bacteria and infection.
A natural entrepreneur with extensive commercial and financial experience, Christine has built a team around her of dedicated experts to ensure the success of the RBT mission. Having successfully brought product to market, Christine continues to push the strategic development of RBTs range to address specific client requirements.
Adam Shay
CEO
Adam joined RBT in July 2022 to lead the business on our next stage of growth. A graduate of the Queensland University of Technology and Wharton Business School, Adam’s corporate experience spans 20 + years, leading and growing businesses in Australia, UK, Asia and the US.
With a background in customer service, sales and marketing Adam is at the forefront of our customer and distributor relationships whilst helping RBT open new markets. An avid promoter of innovation, Adam is focused on ensuring RBT’s products and approach remain ahead of the game in disinfection and sanitisation.
Gracy LeBeau
Director of Technical Projects & Head of R&D
Gracy holds a PhD in Microbiology from Coventry University, UK; MSc in Agricultural Microbiology from University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India and a BSc in Agriculture from Assam Agricultural University, India.
She has worked as Regulatory Affairs Manager, Technical and Product Development Manager and spent over 5 years working developing products for commercial companies (including RBT) some of which have now successfully been commercialised and patented. Gracy has extensive experience in biocides, medical device and hygiene and takes responsibilities for the technical side of the business at RBT as Director of Technical Projects and Head of R&D.
Andrew Deacon
Compliance & Quality Manager
Andrew is an experienced manager in the medical device sector, specialising in the management of Quality Management Systems and the development of new product and production processes.
His familiarity with integrating product growth and production into Quality Management Systems is key in helping to ensure that RBT’s products continue to be made to the high standards that our customers expect.
Stuart Gleghorn
Operations Director
Stuart brings extensive engineering knowledge to RBT, having worked at Rolls Royce and food logistics importer, Fyfes. Alongside Christine, Stuart was instrumental in growing a manufacturing business to become the largest supplier of catering equipment in the UK.
He now oversees production of RBTs equipment and solutions, managing partner relations, production protocols and investor relations with an aim to change the outlook for our future.
Hannah Brander
Operations Manager
Hannah brings extensive management experience from the retail sector to her role as Operations Manager at RBT.
She performs a vital central role in the everyday running of the RBT business with responsibilities ranging from purchasing, purchase ledger, sales, client and supplier liaison and supporting the management team across the business. Hannah is key to the operational growth of the business.
Faq
How do your products work?
Our water-based disinfectants are made of technically advanced surfactants and biocides. Although they all work in slightly different ways, generally speaking, they weaken the cell walls of pathogens, allowing them to enter the cell. Once inside they cause oxidative stress to the organism by creating an imbalance of their normal biochemical mechanisms. The cell rapidly expends energy trying to correct the imbalance and dies. You can find more information about how each of our disinfectants works on the science pages of our website.
What pathogens are your products effective against?
Our products are tested by independent laboratories against a wide range of bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses. You can see most of the tests our products have undergone by downloading the data sheet from the product information pages on our website. We continually expand our testing against new and emerging pathogens and outbreaks, so please get in touch if you have questions about a dealing with a specific pathogen.
Do your products kill the virus that causes Covid-19?
Our Protectus Viridis and Protectus Ultimate products have been independently tested as effective against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In fact, they have been tested as per the EN 14476:2013 + A2:2019 regulatory standard as effective against all enveloped viruses. Our Viridis disinfectant has also been independently classified as fully virucidal, meaning that it kills all enveloped and non-enveloped viruses.
What is ‘Residual Efficacy’?
Residual efficacy applies to products that have an ongoing antimicrobial action even after they have dried onto a surface. Our testing has demonstrated that Protectus disinfectants continue to work on surfaces for up to 24 hours. The powerful active ingredients invisibly sit on a surface and reactivate when they contact a microbe. See our Protectus Viridis animation for how our residual efficacy works: Play video
How is your 24-hour residual claim substantiated?
We test our surface disinfectants using the peer reviewed Publicly Available Specification, PAS2424. This assesses the products effectiveness over a 24-hour period and includes cycles of washing and abrasion to mimic real life scenarios.
Some products on the market claim to offer residual protection for a month or more: is this realistic, and why do you only claim 24-hours?
Whilst many products can demonstrate efficacy after very long periods of time, this is under closely controlled laboratory conditions that do not realistically reflect real-life usage scenarios. In real life, surfaces get randomly disturbed and rubbed over time which can affect performance, so we only claim what can be proven by testing our products against the recognised peer reviewed PAS 2424, which is the only UK / EU test for residual efficacy of a product against bacteria. There are currently no official longevity tests for performance against fungi and viruses.
Do I still need to wash my hands if I’m using your hand sanitiser?
Although our hand sanitiser has up to 4 hours residual efficacy, the level of protection depends on what you are doing, e.g., are your hands getting dirty or is our product being rubbed off by what you are doing? Using our hand sanitiser should be an important part of your regular hand hygiene practices, but hand washing is still important. Our residual efficacy can be removed by washing your hands, so make sure to re-apply afterwards. Wash your hands regularly and make sure to use a hand sanitiser when out and about or visiting sick or vulnerable people.
Is your Protectus Viridis Handrub as effective as alcohol handrubs?
Yes! Our hand sanitiser has been independently tested to EN 1500. This European standard compares the effectiveness of a hand sanitising product against alcohol-based products – to pass you must be at least as effective as an alcohol-based product. Having passed this test, we can claim that our product is just as effective. In fact, some viruses, such as norovirus, cannot be killed by alcohol-based products – our hand sanitisers and disinfectants have been independently proven to kill norovirus. In addition, our Viridis handrub has been tested and approved as suitable for sensitive skin, so unlike alcohol-based products, it will not dry out the skin on your hands.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) have recommended the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers: are they better than water-based products?
Our hand sanitisers are tested to, and have passed, the EU standard EN1500. As part of this test, they are directly compared to alcohol for effectiveness at killing pathogens. If you aren’t as effective as alcohol, then you fail the test! We would argue that our products have a distinct advantage over alcohol-based products:
- Unlike alcohol which rapidly evaporates, our products stay on your hands and form an invisible barrier that keeps working for up to 4 hours.
- Our products have been tested as suitable for sensitive skin, whereas alcohol can cause dryness and skin damage with repeated use.
- Some drug resistant bacteria are becoming resistant to alcohol, meaning that pathogens can remain active on your hands. In fact some pathogens such as the winter vomiting bug Norovirus are completely resistant to 70% alcohol.
What research facilities do you have in-house?
At our site we have a Biosafety Level 2 laboratory that allows us to carry out internal testing into the antimicrobial properties of our products as part of our research and development. All final efficacy testing to EN standards is carried out at external, independent UKAS accredited Laboratories. We also use our laboratory for quality control checks on every batch of product that we make to ensure its compliance and efficacy.
Are your product flammable?
No, unlike many other products our products are water-based and are non-flammable.
What’s the difference between 99.9% effectiveness and 99.999% effectiveness?
Our disinfectant products are 99.999% effective against bacteria. This is far more effective than products only claiming a 99.9% kill rate – 100 times better! For example, for a surface contaminated with 100,000 bacteria a 99.9% product would leave 100 live bacteria behind. The same surface treated with a 99.999% product would only have 1 bacteria remaining.
This is important because bacteria multiply by dividing their cells to create new bacteria. Bacteria are among the fastest reproducing organisms in the world, doubling in number every 4 to 20 minutes. The 100 live bacteria remaining from the 99.9% product could grow to become 6400 bacteria in 2 hours. However, over the same time period, the 1 bacteria left by the 99.999% product would only have multiplied to become 64 bacteria.
Are your products suitable for children?
Our Protectus Viridis hand sanitiser can be used on children’s hands and has been dermatologically tested as suitable for sensitive skin.
Our surface disinfectants can be used by families with children and babies to disinfect surfaces such as toys, highchairs, and food preparation areas etc. They do not give off toxic fumes and as they have been tested as food safe, there is no need to rise the disinfectant off after applying. Young children should not use our surface disinfectants themselves though, and they should be stored safely away from children. Always read the product label and follow the instructions for use.
‘Extensive testing and sheer diversity of industry scope is what sets RBT apart from the crowd’
Adam Shay - CEOUse disinfectants safely. Always read the label and product information before use.
RBT is the finalist for the prestigious Med-Tech sustainability award for our Protectus Eco-wipes. A fully biodegradable combination of disinfectant and wipe.
