Paul J Cunningham
Managing Director and Founder
“I believe our success is a distillation of science, sales, people, service and quality”.
Paul brings more than 40 years of solid experience in fine chemical sourcing and sales to Discovery Fine Chemicals Ltd. Educated at Bradford University where he obtained a double honours degree in French and Spanish, he is first a talented linguist, having spent time at both the universities of Barcelona and Strasbourg.
In 1980 Paul began work at BDH Chemicals as Regional Sales Manager for France, Spain, North Africa and Latin America. He made regular visits to Latin America and Havana, Cuba for BDH and the E.Merck group. He left BDH in 1985 to join Fluka Feinchemie, Switzerland (subsidiary of Hoffman-la-Roche) where he became Sales Manager for France. In 1987 he moved to Mulhouse, Alsace to set up Fluka France. Shortly afterwards Fluka was purchased by Sigma-Aldrich and Paul moved to Lyon to take up the post of European Industrial Sales Manager for the Sigma-Aldrich bulk division. He stayed with Sigma-Aldrich until 1999 when he resigned to form the company Molekula Fine Chemicals. In 2006, Paul set up the new Life Sciences company called Discovery Fine Chemicals Ltd.
As Founder and CEO since 2006, Paul has been the driving force behind the growth and success of this dynamic, life sciences company, now recognized as one of the leading players in the field of Microbiology. Under his strategic leadership, the company has evolved from a bold entrepreneurial vision into a trusted partner for laboratories and research institutions across Europe. Paul has played a pivotal role in building a robust sales and distribution network throughout France, working closely with Daniel Cunningham to establish and expand key commercial relationships. His unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer success continues to strengthen the company’s footprint in the microbiology and life sciences sectors, positioning it for sustained growth in a rapidly advancing scientific landscape.
The Discovery team attend multiple exhibitions yearly including MEDICA, MedLab, CPHI, ESCMID and Lab Innovations.
The company’s forward looking statement is “The future is Life Science, the future is Discovery”.
Letka Rexhallari
Director
Following four years of studying chemistry, Letka went on to University of Surrey in Twickenham where she obtained a double honours BA degree in International Business Management and Current Affairs.
As well as her extensive knowledge of chemistry, microbiology and IVD, Letka boasts a wealth of experience in freight forwarding and imports and exports having spent 6 years at one of Heathrow’s premier freight forwarders. Her responsibilities included managing the accounts of Middle East Airlines, AOG for British Airways, Jet Airways, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and Air Mauritius. Her work involved filing Inward Processing Reliefs (IPR’s), requiring very close liaison and cooperation with high ranking HM Customs officers. She has an in depth knowledge of customs tariffs and protocols. She is an invaluable asset in this fast moving world of transport and customs clearance.
Letka is a highly skilled professional with broad expertise in operations, customer sourcing, accounting and quality management. As a Director, she plays a critical role in driving operational excellence and ensuring organizational alignment with the company’s strategic goals. Letka oversees and optimizes core business processes, fostering a culture of efficiency, accountability, and high performance across all departments. In addition to her operational leadership, Letka is instrumental in managing key customer relationships and acts as a senior representative in high-level meetings with existing clients. Her ability to present the company’s vision, capabilities, and value proposition to prospective partners has been a major contributor to its continued commercial success. Leveraging her deep understanding of regional markets and an extensive sales network across the Balkans and Türkiye, Letka has been a driving force behind the company’s expansion into new territories. Her strategic insight, client-focused approach, and business development acumen have significantly strengthened the company’s market presence and long-term growth trajectory.
As the gatekeeper for Discovery’s Quality Management System, Letka ensured Discovery obtained UKAS ISO 9001:2015 certification from BSI, to satisfy the ever increasing quality demands of Discovery’s customer base.
She is a highly talented linguist speaking English, Albanian, Turkish, Macedonian and Serbo-Croat.
Letka is driven by success and she shares the leitmotiv “The future is Life Science, the future is Discovery”.
Daniel Cunningham
Sales Executive
Born and educated in France, Daniel relocated to the UK to pursue new opportunities in international commerce and export. His career began at Binks (formerly Carlisle Fluid Technologies), where he joined the Export team. In this role, he was responsible for client relations and account management across the EMEA region, with a particular focus on the French and Benelux markets. His portfolio included a range of Automotive and OEM clients, where he developed strong commercial relationships and gained valuable experience in cross-border account handling.
In May 2024, Daniel brought his commercial expertise to Discovery, transitioning into the dynamic and fast-evolving field of Life Sciences. As Sales Executive, he works alongside his colleague Diellzë Shehi, overseeing sales across France and Southern Europe including Spain, Italy, and Portugal. Daniel plays a central role in managing new enquiries, supporting customer projects, coordinating tenders, and maintaining strong relationships with key distributors. His efforts have been instrumental in introducing Discovery’s product range to new markets and strengthening the company’s footprint in microbiology and life sciences. Beyond his core sales responsibilities, Daniel is actively involved in the company’s design and marketing initiatives, contributing to the creation of customer-facing materials and brand communications. He has also represented Discovery at multiple international exhibitions, where his professionalism and multilingual skills have helped enhance the company’s visibility and forge valuable connections with industry stakeholders. His versatility and customer-focused approach make him a vital asset to Discovery’s commercial team.
A skilled communicator and natural linguist, Daniel speaks fluent French and English, with conversational proficiency in Spanish. He plays an important role in strengthening Discovery’s presence in Southern Europe, leveraging his cultural insight, language skills, and commercial acumen to build lasting partnerships with key customers. Daniel is a valued team member, known for his professionalism, adaptability, and commitment to driving business growth across his region.
Daniel supports the company mission statement “The future is Life Science, the future is Discovery”.
Diellzë Shehi
Sales Executive
Diellzë began her career after completing her higher education, joining LV Car Insurance as a Customer Sales Representative. She was soon promoted to Senior Customer Representative and later joined the Policy Crime Prevention team, where she helped protect the company and its clients from serious fraud. After two years in the insurance industry, Diellzë moved to J.P. Morgan, taking on the role of Global Client List Screening Analyst. In this position, she was responsible for the screening and monitoring of client profiles worldwide, ensuring full compliance with international sanctions and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations.
In April 2024, Diellzë joined Discovery, marking a strategic transition into the Sales and Life Sciences sector. Bringing with her a strong foundation in analysis and compliance, she quickly established herself as a key contributor. She took full responsibility for managing regulatory documentation, including MSDS safety data sheets, in-house product specifications, and product information sheets, playing a crucial role in compliance and customer safety, while supporting the wider sales function. Alongside her regulatory role, Diellzë was appointed Sales Executive for the Balkan States, Türkiye, and the Gulf States. In this capacity, she has successfully represented Discovery at international exhibitions and completed several export sales trips, developing strong client relationships and securing valuable new business. Her efforts have directly contributed to the company’s growing presence in these strategic regions. In addition to her commercial responsibilities, Diellzë plays an active role in design and marketing initiatives. She is involved in planning and coordinating Discovery’s exhibition presence and contributes significantly to the development of customer-facing literature and in-house marketing materials, helping to ensure brand consistency and professional presentation across all channels.
Fluent in English and Albanian, and currently learning Turkish to further support business development in the region. Diellzë is known for her professionalism, versatility, and collaborative spirit. She is a highly valued team member and a true asset to Discovery.
She fully embraces the company statement “The future is Life Science, the future is Discovery”.
William Saenz
Administrative and After-Sales Executive
William comes from a background of after-sales support, where he developed expertise in managing customer inquiries, troubleshooting issues and ensuring client satisfaction. Overtime, he expanded his skill set to include administrative operations, streamlining processes to improve efficiency and service delivery. He has been able to bridge the gap between operational efficiency and exceptional customer service.
His strong organisational skills and attention to detail ensure efficient operations and excellent customer support. William is known for his proactive communication, problem-solving abilities and commitment to delivering high-quality after-sales care. His customer-focused approach ensures clients receive timely and efficient service, strengthening long-term business relationships.
William is fluent in English and German. He is also currently learning French to assist our French clientele.
William welcomes the company’s statement “The future is Life Science, the future is Discovery”.
Steen Johns
Quality Management Consultant
Steen has worked closely with Discovery Fine Chemicals since 2015 as a quality management consultant with a brief aimed at introducing Discovery to the benefits of working towards full ISO 9000 certification. He has been instrumental in conducting internal audits and has worked closely with both Letka Rexhallari and Martin Alford, to fast track Discovery to the stated target of ISO 9001-2008 accreditation with BSI-UKAS.
He is a consummate professional and is a specialist in ISO Development and Auditing having helped countless SME’S develop and introduce ISO 9001, 14001 and 18001. He has a keen interest too in applying standards and disciplines in the workplace via 5s and lean principals. Today Steen lives in South Wales with his wife and two children and is Managing Director of SJ Consulting Ltd.
Luke Smith
IT Consultant
Luke has worked closely with Discovery Fine Chemicals as IT and social media consultant since 2010. Having obtained a BSc in Computing at Bournemouth University, he is totally conversant with a varied battery of programming languages and technologies. His skill set ranges from full stack development to mobile application development. He is an invaluable member of the Discovery team and is committed to developing bespoke solutions to the Company and for its customers.