Cordel Group PLC, an artificial intelligence platform for transport corridor analytics, has appointed Jeffrey Songer to its board as a non-executive director, with immediate effect.

Songer is an established senior USA rail industry executive with over 30 years of experience in operations, engineering and finance.

Most recently, he led the merger and integration activities for the Kansas City Southern Railway, acquired by the Canadian Pacific Railway for $31 billion in April 2023.

Author: Chris Maguire

Jon Robinson is to leave City AM.

The experienced journalist joined as the paper’s first UK editor in January 2024 and has clocked up nearly 2,000 articles.

He said: “Serving as City AM’s first UK editor has been the highlight of my journalist career.

“I have been given the freedom to pursue the stories I believe would be of most value to our growing audience and help it become a truly national publication.

“Creating and hosting my CEO interview show, Boardroom Uncovered, has been the most creatively rewarding experience.

“City AM has been on a meteoric rise since its acquisition by THG in the summer of 2023 and it holds a very special place in British journalism. I’m very proud to have been a part of its journey.”

Robinson said he’ll reveal details about his next role later this month.

THG acquired City AM in a pre-pack deal in 2023.

 

AdvancedAdvT, a London-based international software solutions provider for the business solutions, healthcare compliance and human capital management sectors, has acquired Swiss platform MatchingCore.

MatchingCore is an AI-driven resource optimisation technology for intellectual property in professional services.

The SaaS solution delivers workforce scheduling and improves resource allocation through enhancing utilisation, improving revenues and reducing costs.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Private equity investor Bridgepoint has agreed a deal to acquire a majority stake in international financial advisory firm Interpath.

When completed, the transaction will mark a successful exit for H.I.G. Capital, which has supported the business since its carve-out from KPMG UK in 2021. The business has more than doubled EBITDA in that period.

Terms of the potential transaction were not disclosed.

GLAS has entered 2026 with new backing after securing Oakley Capital and La Caisse as strategic partners to support its next phase of growth.

Oakley has acquired a majority stake in the global loan administration and bond trustee services provider, with La Caisse taking a minority position and existing investor LLCP retaining a small holding.

Founded in 2011 by Mia Drennan, the London-based FinTech now operates across multiple regions and administers more than $750 billion in assets, benefiting from strong demand in the fast-growing private credit market.

The new investors will support international expansion, M&A activity and further investment in technology and AI capabilities.

Drennan will also represent the UK at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year in May 2026 in Monaco.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Raspberry Pi has fallen to its lowest share price since listing in June 2024, with the stock hitting a low of 277p today and trading around the mid-280s later on.

That dip took the shares below its 280p IPO offer price and way off its peak of 766p almost 12 months ago.

London-based CommsTech PR agency Antidote has appointed Tom Hunt as its new managing director as it looks to accelerate commercial growth and expand its client base.

Hunt will focus on growing the agency’s roster of B2B technology startups, scaleups and established brands, while reinforcing its data-led, outcomes-focused approach to PR.

He joins from Cognito, where he led FinTech and analytics teams and developed an AI-powered measurement platform for clients.

Hunt has already secured new business for Antidote, including post-digital advisory firm ace and crypto payments platform Lydian.

London-based social and community networking app Cliq has secured a major seven-figure investment as it looks to accelerate international growth.

Founded in 2023, the platform is designed to help people connect through shared interests and meet in person, positioning itself as an alternative to traditional social media.

The business has grown to more than 100,000 users, with activity spanning the UK, US, Australia and Bali, and has achieved this growth without spending on marketing.

The latest funding round, backed by VC Artesian alongside a family office and angel investors, will be used to scale the business globally.

Qualitative analytics startup WholeSum has secured £730,000 in funding to support product development, team expansion and early enterprise deployments.

The investment combines grant backing from Women TechEU with a pre-seed round led by Twin Path Ventures, alongside strategic angels from companies including JustPark, ClearScore and Prolific.

The company’s platform uses a hybrid AI approach to turn large volumes of free-text data into auditable, quantified insights that integrate directly into existing analytics workflows.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Deloitte has confirmed plans to relocate its Birmingham office to One Centenary Way, taking a significant space in one of the city’s newest and most prominent commercial buildings.

The professional services giant will occupy the seventh and eighth floors of One Centenary Way, totalling around 46,000 sq ft, with staff expected to move into the building in autumn 2026.

The London-headquartered firm is currently based at 4 Brindleyplace and employs more than 1,000 people across the Midlands, which remains one of its largest UK regions outside of the capital.

The move forms part of a wider programme of office relocations by the business across the UK over the past two years, with recent moves completed in cities including Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol and Manchester.

The ‘Big Four’ member said the Birmingham relocation underlines its long-term commitment to growth in the region.

South Wales technology firm de Novo Solutions has promoted Helen Crisostomo to vice president of business development as it continues to scale its commercial operations.

Since joining the business from Oracle in 2024, she has played a key role in strengthening sales and marketing structures and supporting sustainable revenue growth.

In her new role, Crisostomo will lead the execution of the firm’s commercial growth strategy, including developing partnerships, driving pipeline performance and overseeing go-to-market activity.

The promotion comes as the Langstone-based company builds on a period of rapid growth and national recognition within the UK technology sector, earning 8th place in the 2025 Sunday Times 100 Fastest Growing Companies and 13th in Deloitte’s UK Technology Fast 50.

Author: Chris Maguire

Ruben Amorim’s exit from Manchester United was as ruthless as it was predictable.

His fate was sealed the moment he told Sunday’s post-match media conference at Leeds that he came to Manchester United to ‘be the manager, not to be the coach’.

Amorim demanded to be able to do his job without interference and yesterday’s extraordinary outburst had the feel of a ‘back me or sack me’ ultimatum to it.

The 40-year-old has been at the centre of a growing power struggle behind the scenes at the Old Trafford club – and there was only going to be one winner.

At 10.08am today the club’s official website confirmed Amorim had departed his role as head coach after 14 months in charge.

However, his departure leaves more questions than answers at the cash-strapped club.

Specialist recruiter Pineapple Recruitment has broadened its offering with the launch of a new finance and HR recruitment division.

The expansion will see the Worcestershire-based firm support employers with permanent and interim hires across senior finance, accounting, payroll and HR roles.

The new division is being led by finance and HR recruitment specialist Joanna Pennell, who will build a dedicated team to work with both existing and new clients.

Pineapple Recruitment is best known for its work in the hospitality and catering sectors and said the move reflects growing demand from businesses for specialist expertise in finance and people-focused roles.

Technology group Avoira is set to mark its 50th anniversary in 2026, celebrating five decades of supporting organisations across the UK with mission-critical communications and IT solutions.

Founded in 1976 as Pennine Communications, the Bury-based business has evolved through organic growth and acquisitions into an integrated provider spanning AV, unified communications, managed IT, cyber security and AI-driven analytics.

Now employing around 150 people, it delivers end-to-end technology for public and private sector customers under its “One Avoira” model.

To mark the milestone, the company is also expanding its social value initiatives, including donating 50 Amazon Alexa devices to Age Concern to help tackle digital isolation.

Cybersecurity distributor Distology has struck a new partnership with US-listed security firm Tenable as it looks to strengthen its exposure management offering.

The agreement will see the Manchester-based firm add Tenable’s exposure management platform to its portfolio, giving UK and EMEA channel partners access to technology designed to assess and prioritise security risks across IT, cloud, identity and operational technology environments.

Tenable is listed on Nasdaq and was named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Exposure Assessment Platforms.

Distology operates across the EMEA region as a specialist distributor of cybersecurity products and services, working with both established and emerging vendors.

The company was founded in 2014 and has been led by BusinessCloud Northern Leader Hayley Roberts since 2015.

Workplace training specialist Multiverse has posted a year of rapid revenue growth, but losses at the business continued to deepen as investment levels remained high.

The London-based company, founded in 2016 by Euan Blair, reported a 36.3% rise in annual revenues to £79.6 million, up from £58.4m the previous year. 

The growth was driven by rising demand from organisations seeking to use AI and data more effectively to improve productivity.

Despite the strong top-line performance, pre-tax losses widened to £63.3m, compared with £60.6m in the prior year. 

Administrative costs rose sharply from £106.1m to £129.3m as the business continued to invest in its platform, curriculum development and commercial teams. 

As a result, accumulated losses at the company have now reached £178.3m.

Operating losses also increased slightly, moving from £63.7m to £64.6m over the period. 

London-based digital health company MedPal AI, which combines AI-driven wellness technology with automated pharmacy services, has reported strong month-on-month growth alongside a major regulatory milestone in the weight management market.

During December 2025, the MedTech processed 33,433 prescriptions, a 16% increase on November’s 28,789, despite the shortened Christmas trading period.

The growth was supported by the continued rollout of its NHS distance selling pharmacy contract and rising demand for its private weight loss service, delivered through its AI-enabled pharmacy operation.

The update follows FDA approval of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill, the first oral GLP-1 treatment for weight loss, which the business believes could further accelerate uptake across its AI-powered health and prescription platforms.

Its share price is up 6.67% today to 5.33p.

Scottish energy and infrastructure group Global has posted a strong uplift in both revenues and profits as it outlined ambitious growth plans.

The business increased turnover to £330 million in the year to 2024/25, up from £253m, while EBITDA rose from £23m to £34m, driven by robust trading and the impact of a planned asset disposal and strategic restructure.

During the period, the firm sold its stake in the Port of Nigg to long-term partners Mitsui and MOL, a move that strengthened its balance sheet.

Global is now targeting revenue growth from around £300m to £500m within the next three years through a mix of organic expansion and acquisitions.

Lancashire is seeking to build on its defence and security expertise as it prepares a bid for up to £20 million from the government’s Local Innovation Partnership Fund.

The proposal will showcase the county’s capabilities in areas such as advanced manufacturing, engineering and cyber resilience, alongside its role in supporting critical national infrastructure.

Key assets including BAE Systems’ Samlesbury and Warton sites, as well as innovation clusters across Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen and Thornton-Cleveleys, will form the backbone of the pitch.

The Lancashire Combined County Authority is leading the bid in partnership with universities, major employers and supply-chain firms ahead of submission deadlines later this year.

Emovis has secured a significant new base in Leeds after agreeing a long-term lease at a landmark city centre building with a rich retail heritage.

The Florida-headquartered firm, which delivers toll-based mobility solutions across Europe and the US, has taken more than 12,000 sq ft at Broad Gate on a ten-year deal, with the transaction handled by Knight Frank’s Leeds team.

The building began life as a department store in the early 20th century and has since been transformed into a major mixed-use destination, offering Grade A office accommodation alongside retail space.

It is already home to a range of high-profile occupiers from financial services, professional services and education.