A tech consultancy has launched a new Manchester office, named after the first woman of colour to travel in space, and the creation of more than 60 jobs.
AND Digital, which has worked with the likes of British Airways, TalkTalk and Premier Inn, has opened 'Club Jemison' in honour of US astronaut Mae Jemison.
The latest 'club' will aim to build on the success of the company’s first Manchester-based location, Club Kilburn, which launched earlier this year and now counts Co-op, the Very Group and The Prince’s Trust among its clients.
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The new base is located in Bloc, 17 Marble Street, Manchester.
Mae Jemison is an US engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.
Chief executive and founder Paramjit Uppal said: "Manchester is the fastest-growing tech hub in Europe currently, with around £527m of funding being funnelled into companies based in the city.
"Not only does this present AND with an enormous growth opportunity, it also means that we can make a much bigger impact in helping clients accelerate their digital delivery while closing digital skills gaps in the region.
"We believe it takes more than tech or data alone to win. Technology and digital services don’t build themselves: it takes the right people, set up in the right environment, to deliver, manage and continuously improve it.
"In Rick [Boyce] we have a club executive who has a proven track record of success, and brings with him the knowledge and know-how to motivate our people and clients to achieve great things with tech and data."
Mr Boyce added: "Manchester is synonymous with innovation, technology, and is even considered the birthplace of the first modern computer.
"Not only is it currently home to six of the UK’s 14 tech unicorns, it also offers a rich and diverse pool of tech talent given the close proximity of some of the UK’s leading universities.
"As a result, it’s only natural that AND Digital would want to expand its presence in this thriving tech destination.
"What appealed to me about this role was AND’s unique approach of putting people at the heart of everything it does.
"Operating using the ‘club model’ means we can keep the close relationships and individuality of a small company and the scale of impact of a large company in the work we do with clients, while growing rapidly and at scale - a winning formula that’s proven successful for AND, as demonstrated by its explosive growth to date.
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"Given our ambitious plans to create a northern hub, we’re continually looking for the ambitious and curious people to support us in our mission to help clients deliver tech that makes life better for 200 million people, every day.
"In Club Jemison alone we will create over 60 new jobs for the city in the next year."
The expansion comes after the firm received a £11m equity investment from BGF in February 2020.
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