Elixirr takes to the skies to celebrate decade in business
Elixirr launched during the financial crisis of 2009, but has gone on to become one of the fastest growing companies in Europe. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Managing Partner Stephen Newton has come up with a unique way to celebrate its milestone in style.
Launching a consulting firm is a huge task for even the most seasoned business leader. As a result, it is not especially shocking that the founders of the firms that survive their initial launch are none too shy of celebrating their achievements when it comes to major milestones. Some firms commit to undertaking huge CSR campaigns, while others indulge in partying with staff, clients and surprise guests. Every firm is different, but ultimately all consultancies like to mark their key anniversaries in style.
That is why, when asked about plans to celebrate a decade in business, Elixirr Co-Founder and Managing Partner Stephen Newton told Consultancy.uk that he would still “definitely think about it”, it came as something of a surprise. Newton explained that rather than looking at the past, he preferred “to celebrate outcomes,” but a year later he seems to have come up with a unique manner to celebrate where the firm has come from, while simultaneously suggesting that the sky is the limit for the challenger consultancy.
Founded in 2009, Elixirr has grown to a team of 130 people working across the world with bases in the US, Europe and Africa, partnering with over 100 clients on more than 800 projects in that time, and enjoying a total revenue of £21.4 million in FY 2018-19. In order to mark this decade of achievement, Newton – who is an EASA and FAA Instrument Rated pilot – has taken to the skies, in the company of the founders and CEOs of some of the world’s most innovative and disruptive companies.
Commenting on the idea behind the series of films, Stephen Newton said, “The spirit of aviation has a lot in common with the spirit of entrepreneurship, the relentless desire to achieve the seemingly impossible. Having reached the 10-year milestone with Elixirr, we’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way and like any entrepreneurial journey, it’s not been easy! With Airtime, we want to share the stories of those who have been successful in business to inspire the Founders and CEOs of today, and the future.”
Season One of Airtime seeks to bring viewers the stories of a trio of successful entrepreneurs. Guests include Alan Barratt, Co-Founder and CEO, Grenade – whose journey took him from £27 in a bank account to building a £72 million business; Dale Klapmeier, Co-Founder, Cirrus Aircraft – who went from restoring aeroplanes in a barn to building the globally recognised leader in general aviation; and Michel Feaster, Co-Founder & CEO, Usermind – a Harvard drop-out who became a leading Silicon Valley tech executive and Seattle enterprise tech start-up founder.
The outcome of the flights is a three-part series of aerial interviews with business leaders, as they fly over the places that shaped who they are today. Over the course of the episodes, the entrepreneurs reveal where they got their drive from, how they made it, and who inspired them along the way.
Importantly, as the consulting industry looks to enhance its sustainability agenda amid the hastening advance of climate change, Elixirr carefully offset the emissions resulting from the flights in Airtime. Every hour flown during the production saw the firm purchase carbon credits from Climate Care, an organisation helping businesses fulfil their climate responsibilities. At the same time, Elixirr made donations to a charity chosen by each of its guest stars. These were Walking with the Wounded, for Alan Barratt; the EAA Aviation Foundation, for Dale Klapmeier; and the USO, for Michel Feaster.
