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UK consulting firm Q5 has launched a new locale in the North of England, with the opening of a presence in Leeds. The hub will assist businesses in the continuing efforts of the so-called Northern Powerhouse project, which is driving to see the region boom economically in future years.
Launched during the world’s worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Q5 Partners first opened for business in 2009. The group thought they could help businesses better respond to the challenges confronting them, with benefits that lasted beyond the four quarters of the financial year, into the fifth quarter, or 'Q5', which the company derives its name from. The consultancy has grown rapidly since, and now works for clients across several industries, providing media, financial services, retail, professional services and government consulting services.
The British origin consultancy headquartered in London announced a number of new ventures in the last year as it bids to expand on an international basis. After launching in the US, Q5 subsequently also made a foray in Australia and and Hong Kong.
Now, the firm has launched a new office in the West Yorkshire city of Leeds to serve as its North of England hub. “Over the past 10 years, we have enjoyed working on projects in Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool. We are always looking for better ways to serve our clients and hope that through our new Leeds office we can combine both our global and local expertise to best support our clients in the region," explained Olly Purnell, Q5’s Managing Partner.
The new venture will lend support to clients across the region, with the UK’s business community and government continuing to claim that the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ is a continued priority for the nation. Britain is said to see the North as a major area of potential to diversify its economy away from the global economic hub of London.
Commenting on the news via LinkedIn, Sharon Rice-Oxley a Partner and co-founder of Q5, said she was “looking forward to the firm's adventure supporting ‘the Northern Powerhouse’.”
Via the same platform, Andy Cottrill, another Partner at Q5, added that the consulting firm was now on the lookout for new clients in the region. He stated, “Network 'shoutout' – calling all contacts in Leeds and Manchester! I'm really excited that we have opened a new office in Leeds right in the city centre. It would be great to be connected with anyone in your network either based in Leeds or has connections there or more generally in the UK's cherished 'Northern Powerhouse'… This could be either businesses that may need help or natural networkers or connectors who may help to grow our presence there.”
Clients Q5 works for include Barclays, British Airways, the BBC, Shell and Dow Jones, among other global brands.
Last year, Q5 was named a top boutique management consultancy to work for in the UK by The Sunday Times.
