CloudCoCo appoints new head of innovation to spearhead £100m multi-cloud strategy

Former Tieva exec Lee Thatcher joins as the Leeds-headquartered business targets ambitious goals

Reseller CloudCoCo has appointed Lee Thatcher as the new head of cloud and innovation to lead growth plans to reach £100m revenue target.

Thatcher joins the firm with nearly 20 years' tech experience, eight of which in senior cloud positions, most recently at Tieva.

With 140 employees and over 1,000 customers throughout the country, CloudCoCo is currently a £25m revenue IT services and communication reseller, specialising in network connectivity, cloud, collaboration tech and cyber.

With Lee's appointment, CloudCoCo is also aiming for an evolution into a multi-cloud player, becoming a cloud agnostic company to open up a wealth of growth potential for the established brand.

CloudCoCo said that putting the network at the heart of multi-cloud transformations has also been fuelled by two new industry collaborations.

In fact, an exclusive partnership has been agreed with digital innovation specialist Abstract Tech, based in Leeds.

CloudCoCo has also entered into a strategic agreement with distributor Ingram Micro UK.

CloudCoCo's cloud business will now also be available on Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace, including Microsoft Azure, AWS and Google GCP services.

Further expansions

CloudCoCo says it's also on the hunt for another five people to join their team.

"Our strapline as a business has always been - the future starts now," said founder and CEO Mark Halpin.

"Our foresight means we break new boundaries with tech, but our people ensure that this tech makes a difference that it is successfully adopted, and adds real value inside our clients' organisations, as they navigate their cloud journey.

"This sounds like it should be a given in our market, but sadly it isn't. Businesses are still often squeezed into using a solution that mirrors a vendor's chosen tech stack, rather than them receiving what they truly need.

"So as we push ahead on our next chapter of growth, it's important we become truly cloud agnostic."

Halpin added: "I am delighted with Lee's appointment."

"And the partnership with Abstract means we'll have the technical means and resource to compete with some of the biggest players in our space, enabling us to secure larger and longer deals with complex, multi-site organisations across the UK.

"Beyond the potential commercial benefits of the collaboration, there are remarkable cultural synergies at play and, as two Yorkshire-based businesses, I am hopeful we'll drive further innovation and job creation in the region."

Commenting on his appointment, Lee said: "The marketplace is crowded, but rarely do you find a managed service provider (MSP) that is a true multi-cloud player.

"We're one step ahead now, when it comes to the strength of our offering and the pace with which we can transform UK businesses - within our existing customer base, let alone in the wider space."

He added: "Put simply, we're a cloud overlay specialist - a team of people who can have ultra technical and commercial conversations for businesses that want to hyperscale.

"Whenever there is a shortfall now, between the tech that an organisation already has, and the tech that they need to thrive, we can deliver it, in a way that makes sense for customers and, importantly, works."

CloudCoCo has a history of being acquisitive, having snapped up firms such as More Computers, IDE Connect and Systems Assurance.