hedgehog lab has appointed industry stalwart Julian Leighton as its new chair as the Newcastle-headquartered global product design consultancy continues to roll out its ambitious growth plans.
Leighton brings nearly 30 years’ tech experience to the firm, having cut his teeth with IBM business partners before co-founding digital agency Orange Bus with Mike Parker in 2006.
Together, they scaled the business from two to 150 people before it was sold to then FTSE 100-listed outsourcer Capita 10 years later.
After serving on the board of Capita Software until 2020, Leighton went on to reunite with Mike Parker to develop software company Therion in its early stages.
He now runs his own consultancy providing non-executive director support, advisory, and mentorship to help established businesses grow, and was recently appointed a non-executive director at Newcastle creative agency Different Narrative.
Leighton will provide support and guidance to hedgehog lab’s board, collaborating closely with Malcolm Seagrave, who recently became CEO of the B Corp-accredited company after 18 months as managing director of its UK operations.
Earlier this month hedgehog lab announced its turnover rose 30% during 2025. The consultancy, which is backed by growth capital investor BGF, has plans to increase revenues five-fold in the years ahead.
hedgehog lab now has operations in Newcastle, Leeds, and Edinburgh – acquiring innovation consultancy Label Sessions in the Scottish capital last year – as well as engineering support teams in Romania and Bulgaria, with expansion to Manchester and Glasgow in its sights.
“Orange Bus and hedgehog lab started around the same time – and, in fact, we were even in the same building during the early years,” said Leighton.
“I was always aware of its success and potential, so when the opportunity to get involved with the company came up, it immediately felt like a good fit.
“This is a hands-on role and will help me scratch the itch I still have from having founded and built an agency myself. I am inspired by working with talented people and I already know the team at hedgehog lab are good fun from my meetings and conversations so far.
“With my experience, I want to support Malcolm and his team, get to know the business better, and help to create value.
“AI has put the tech industry at an inflection point, and hedgehog lab is at the forefront of that. It’s an exciting time, but making sure we are going at the right pace is critical – agencies that strike the right balance have the potential to grow exponentially, and hedgehog lab is firmly in that sweet spot.”
Seagrave added: “Julian has been there and done it before – he knows our industry, and our business, really well.
“His experience of building Orange Bus from the ground up will be hugely valuable to our team, and it’s great to welcome him on board in such a hands-on role as we look to further scale hedgehog lab in the months and years ahead.
“Having a chair of Julian’s quality is another key foundation stone for hedgehog lab. With a great team, funding to scale, and an experienced leadership team in place, now it’s time for us to execute our plans and drive the business forward into its next chapter.”
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