James joins to help Opencast to next stage of growth

Impressive future vision

In terms of employees, Opencast has doubled in size in two years and is expected to employ more than 400 people by the end of this year. Revenue last year grew 114 per cent to £30m, and further growth of 80 per cent is forecast this year.

“Opencast has the talent, drive and leadership to go to the next level and I’m excited to be part of that expansion. I met with founders Mike O’Brien and Charlie Hoult and chief executive Tom Lawson earlier in the year and was very impressed by their vision for the company.

“Joining Opencast at such an exciting stage of development is an amazing opportunity that I feel enormously privileged to be part of,” he said.

“I will be focused on evolving our operating model and internal structures, and readying the company for the next stage of growth. Make no mistake, Opencast has what the market is looking for. We’re a unique company that is making the rest of the sector sit up and take notice.

“But what is equally remarkable is that Mike, Charlie and Tom are fiercely determined to maintain the Opencast culture they’ve worked so hard to create and foster. It is a supportive, inclusive and caring culture where everyone is valued and appreciated. It’s another differentiator for Opencast and another reason why I’m delighted to have joined the team.”

Tom Lawson added: “I’m delighted to welcome James to Opencast. He is a key addition to our team. His appointment into a new role shows our evolution as a company – our requirement is no longer for a purely operational finance team, but one that can plan strategically for the next stage of our growth.

“We performed a long and intensive recruitment process for this role – and in terms of experience, knowledge, ambition and an alignment with our cultural values, James was the stand-out candidate. I’m very much looking forward to working with him.”