Newcastle-based Orange Bus has announced changes to its senior team, with co-founders Mike Parker and Julian Leighton both stepping down from their roles.
Parker has left the company, while Leighton will continue in a brand ambassador role. James Hall has stepped up from chief commercial officer to become chief executive officer.
Leighton said: “We’re delighted to have reached this milestone – we’ve been focused on getting the right senior management team in place for some time now and it’s a great feeling to know Orange Bus is ready for its next phase of, what will undoubtedly be, exponential growth.
“It’s also great to still be a part of it, I’m very proud of the company and I’ll be here for as long as I can add value.”
Hall added: “During the last year alone we’ve been building the management team with this transition and the future growth of the organisation in mind. It’s all formed part of the transformation we’ve been through whilst simultaneously increasing revenue and profit, which is a fantastic achievement.
“In this industry the potential for growth is huge; digital and technology consultancy are the fastest growing areas in the sector and are set to be worth £3.5bn globally.
“We help organisations capitalise on technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence, to improve the experience of their customers interactions, enabling them to attract new customers and retain current ones, which delivers real commercial value to our clients.
“I’m excited to be leading the company going forward as we enter this really exciting time. There’ll be growth across all of our capabilities – from service design consultants to developers and it’s fantastic to be able to do this in the North East.”
Orange Bus, which was acquired by Capita three years ago, saw revenues rise by 23% in 2018 to £9m. It has forecast a 25% increase in turnover for 2019. The business, which has a 130-strong workforce, has evolved from a user experience design agency into a leader in service and experience design.
Clients include Porsche Motorsport, Mobilcom Debitel, BBC and Direct Line as well as HMRC and government departments.
