Member Article

Accreditation & appointment ‘underpin’ growth of Sheffield’s digital sector

Sheffield’s credibility in the growing digital sector has been ‘underpinned’ after a creative agency achieved a major accreditation and joined the board of a city steering committee.

‘Gurgl’, an innovative marketing and sales platform engineered by digital agency Switchstance has gained international acclaim by achieving the prestigious ‘Made in Sheffield’ mark – an accreditation usually associated with the manufacturing industry.

The team behind Gurgl is led by Sheffield-born Matt Cuff, who established Switchstance, based at the city’s Digital Campus, six years ago. Having achieved the ‘Made in Sheffield’ mark with Gurgl, Matt has now been asked to join the organisation’s steering committee as a Digital Specialist.

Sheffield Hallam graduate Matt said: “While Sheffield is traditionally known for its excellence in manufacturing and steel, more recently it has been making its mark in the digital world.

“The success of Gurgl underpins Sheffield’s credibility in the digital sector – an industry that is becoming more important as businesses shift towards digitalisation to create growth and success. Having instant access to information is essential for driving businesses forward into the new digitalised world and for gaining competitive advantage.

“I’m looking forward to joining the Made in Sheffield committee and sharing my many years’ experience in software engineering to help assess the eligibility of future software applications and ensure the high entry bar is maintained when awarding this prestigious mark.”

Gurgl joins an elite list of just four software products to be awarded the world renowned mark of quality to date. A convenient and centralised way of handling all of a business’s web and marketing in one place, it organises and links data, giving businesses a complete picture of their marketing activity, and uses the insights to identify leads, measure ROI and maximise customer engagement.

Added Matt: “Our product truly was ‘Made in Sheffield’ as it was engineered over the last three years, and this accreditation acknowledges it as a high quality software product.”

Gurgl was awarded the Made in Sheffield honour after meeting the strict criteria and on-site inspection by committee chairman Charles Turner and associate James Wilson, Business Growth Advisor at Creative Sheffield.

Charles Turner said: “Our prestigious mark is well-established in the advanced manufacturing industry, in which Sheffield remains at the forefront internationally.

“However, there is a real desire to recognise the technology and production processes of the future, including the digital engineering associated with the top flight of innovative digital industries, while retaining the mark’s high level of quality.

“Gurgl is one of these highly engineered digital products that has met the criteria.”

The ‘Made in Sheffield’ mark epitomises Sheffield’s reputation for quality products supplied worldwide dating back to the 1900s, when the initiative formed a partnership between the Cutlers’ Company, the Chamber of Commerce and the City Council.

Gurgl will be showcased at the Made in Sheffield Exhibition at Millennium Galleries from 6 July until 8 January 2017, joining work by more than 100 leading companies to demonstrate and showcase the diversity of design and production in the city region.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Eleanor Head .