Posted in Member News

As the Australian Dental Industry Association (ADIA) marks its centenary in 2025, one of its long-time supporters, Whiteley, is celebrating alongside, reflecting on decades of Australian innovation, research, and resilience.

“I'm looking forward to the big celebration,” said Dr Greg Whiteley, Managing Director of the company that bears his family name. “It’s a fantastic sector.”

Founded in 1933, Whiteley has grown from a small family business into Australia’s largest manufacturer of sterilants and disinfectants. From its base in Tomago, New South Wales, it now exports to over 30 countries and continues to innovate in the field of infection prevention, particularly in healthcare and dental settings.

Carl Scully, NSW Minister for Small Business and Regional Development with Whiteley Directors at the opening of the plant in June 1995. 

Dr Whiteley’s own journey into the business began reluctantly. “I made sure I'd never be part of the business,” he laughed. Trained originally in environmental health, he was drawn in as the company’s focus shifted toward medical and health sectors. “It turned out my degree was almost perfect for what needed to happen.”

Since then, he’s added postgraduate qualifications in occupational health, business, and research. Today, he leads the company’s ongoing collaborations with universities, with a strong focus on practical clinical outcomes. One of the company’s signature developments is Surfex®, the world’s first dry surface biofilm remover—born from Whiteley’s obsessive focus on microbial science and infection transmission.

But science aside, it’s the sense of connection that keeps him grounded. “It really is a community,” Dr Whiteley said. “A place where people support each other.” He credits much of Whiteley’s continued involvement in the sector to those long-standing relationships and the shared focus on clinical safety and infection prevention. That sense of connection, he believes, is what has sustained Whiteley through decades of change, growth, and challenge, including the collapse of their first major dental distributor in the 1980s. “You get around those things. That’s just part of the commercial reality.”

Whiteley is one of only three remaining independent manufacturers of its kind in Australia. “We had lots and lots of competitors around,” he explained. “We’re now probably the largest.”

Looking to the future, the company is preparing to open its own manufacturing operations in the United States. “We’ve been manufacturing under licence in the US for more than 30 years,” said Dr Whiteley. “One of our critical licences is coming to a close… and we’re getting ready to come on board.” Establishing its own manufacturing presence in the United States will open new avenues for growth in one of the world’s largest healthcare markets.

Whiteley is a big supporter of industry teaming up with universities, especially when it comes to clinical innovation. “I don't think we do nearly enough collaborative research as a sector,” said Dr Whiteley. “There’s a huge opportunity there.” He sees research-backed innovation as key to making better products and breaking into tightly regulated export markets.

As ADIA celebrates 100 years of representing Australia’s dental suppliers and manufacturers, Whiteley stands as an example of an Australian business continuing to invest in the future of healthcare, both at home and abroad. His advice after decades in the industry? “Never give up,” he said. “Sometimes you get it wrong… but you’ve got to keep moving forward.”