Member Article

Expansion at AYO Digital

A rapidly-expanding digital agency has boosted its North East team by taking on five new recruits following several new contract-wins and additional work from its national client-base.

Gateshead-based AYO Digital has experienced impressive growth this year, which has seen it double its staff numbers to 22, open a new hub in Manchester and begin work on a further site in London.

The company has bolstered its commercial, account management and technical teams with the arrival of Thomas Gray, John Phillipson, Matthew O’Connor, Kallula Dixon and Jude Wood.

Managing director at AYO Digital, Rob Mathieson, said: “We are now at a stage where we know exactly what direction the company is heading in and are fortunate enough to be in a position to bring on new staff to help with that journey. We have had to take on a lot more highly-experienced people to help with the demand for our services.

“The national interest we have seen from projects such as the Olympic BMX timing software has been fantastic and with an on-going recruitment drive, this growth should hopefully continue.

“A lot of work we see coming through is from client referrals, take the recent Renault Clio website we constructed, that was from work we had already completed with Fusion 2K events.

“The biggest growth area within our business has definitely been ecommerce. Trading online is now seen as necessary for many retailers so we are happy to assist a range of businesses in this field and our new recruits are well-equipped in this discipline.”

Thomas Gray has joined AYO from the BBC as a User Experience Designer. He previously worked on the BBC’s red button service after completing a master in Digital Media at Newcastle University.

John Phillipson also joined AYO from Newcastle University, where he worked for the RCID. He has joined the team to focus on development of ecommerce and online trading solutions. His experience in complex software solutions means he is able to work with AYO’s new customer base, which are looking for scalable systems.

Matthew O’Connor joins the digital specialist as a senior business development manager to oversee the sales team and enforce the associated strategies for both short and long term expansion. He has worked in the digital sector for over a decade and has led several successful digital campaigns for brands such as ITV, Go North East and Vertu Motors.

Kallula Dixon and Jude Wood have also joined the firm as Account Manager and Software Developer respectively. Both have significant industry experience. Kallula has worked in account management for a number of years and Jude has developed solutions on a number of military projects for BAE.

Matthew said: “I was very attracted to the ethos that the agency lives by and the range and quality of the work the team can deliver. I wanted to be part of that and play an integral role in future plans and development of the agency going forward.”

AYO Digital specialises in delivering tailored business solutions coupled with creative design for web and mobile devices. Its digital manufacturers deliver business critical online software that assists its clients in driving efficiency, improving profitability and measuring return on investment.

Established in 2008 by its young directors Rob Mathieson, Tony Olanipekun and Kevin Reece, AYO Media now works with numerous SMEs and large organisations nationally, across a number of sectors including manufacturing, utilities property and retail.

For more info visit: www.ayodigital.com

Twitter: AYO Digital at: /ayomedia

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jodie Balmer .