At one point, John Buckels was ready to walk away from diagnostics altogether. After years spent in large organisations, acquisition projects, and scaling businesses, he found himself at a genuine crossroads, seriously considering a complete career change.

As John reflects:

“I was seriously considering opening a coffee shop or some other business - but my heart was still in infectious disease diagnostics.”

Then Hartmann Young introduced him to Genetic Signatures. A business he had never heard of at the time, but one that immediately stood out - small, successful in the Australian market, and with clear ambitions to scale internationally. Six years later, as Head of Sales & Support EMEA, John has helped lead that expansion across Europe.

Diagnostics driven by impact

For John, diagnostics has never simply been about commercial growth - it has always been about impact. That belief became particularly clear when he recognised a major gap in gastrointestinal diagnostics. Despite the enormous burden infectious diseases continue to place on global healthcare systems - with an estimated 4.67 billion cases of diarrhoeal illness in 2021 alone, alongside approximately 1.17 million deaths linked to pathogens such as Norovirus, Salmonella, and E. coli - access to broad molecular testing remained limited in many laboratories.

In conversations across Europe, John repeatedly encountered the same challenge: only the most urgent or critical patients were being tested, not because the demand wasn’t there, but because cost and workflow limitations made routine testing difficult to implement at scale. That challenge aligned directly with what Genetic Signatures was working to solve.

Through its proprietary 3base™ technology, the company has developed a molecular diagnostics platform designed to make highly multiplex testing more scalable and operationally efficient. By simplifying genetic material prior to PCR amplification, the technology enables broader pathogen detection within a single workflow, helping laboratories reduce complexity, improve throughput, and deliver faster clinical answers.

Scaling through disruption

Of course, scaling a business across international markets rarely follows a predictable path. Just weeks after John joined the company, COVID disrupted global healthcare systems and commercial operations alike. Brexit soon followed, bringing logistical challenges that required a complete rethink of European supply strategy. As momentum returned, the business also needed to adapt products and workflows for non-Australian markets, all while building awareness for a relatively unknown brand.

Yet for John, this is exactly what made the opportunity compelling. Growth businesses create the chance to shape strategy, drive change, and build something meaningful - but only with the right people around you. Team strength, retention, and shared belief in the mission have been central to Genetic Signatures’ progress.

Turning resilience into impact

That resilience is now translating into tangible impact. One defining milestone came recently at the Infection Prevention & Control Conference in the UK, where conversations shifted beyond instrumentation and laboratory workflows toward something more meaningful: patient pathways, clinical outcomes, and real-world impact.

For John, after two decades in the industry, it marked a standout moment.

“After 20 years in the industry, this was the best event I have participated in.”

Now, with new leadership, growing market demand, and stronger foundations in place, Genetic Signatures is entering its next phase of growth with confidence.

“After the foundations are built in a strong way, you can build a skyscraper on top with confidence.”

It’s a fitting reflection of both the company’s trajectory and John’s own journey - proof that the right opportunity, at the right time, with the right people, can change everything.