Edinburgh-based data science consultancy Optima Partners locks sights on major expansion and cheers senior hire

Edinburgh-based data science consultancy Optima Partners says it remains on track to double in size this year and pursue international expansion as it unveils a key senior hire.

The firm, which turned over nearly £6 million in its 2022 financial year after rapid growth, has appointed Martin Dowson managing director of consulting. It follows the announcement that the firm secured a £2.3m investment from capital investor BGF – formerly known as the Business Growth Fund.

Optima Partners also earlier this year announced the opening of its third office, in Bristol, complementing its sites in the Scottish capital and central London, with expansion plans into Europe already under way. Optima Partners describes itself as an analytics-driven consulting firm that supports large consumer businesses to unlock latent value in their customer bases, and has worked with the likes of Ovo, Lloyds Banking Group, PayPal, BT and HMD Global to achieve transformational change.

The firm said Mr Dowson, whose previous employers include Lloyds Banking Group, BT and Accenture, is the latest key hire in an “aggressive” recruitment strategy, adding that it is on course to double headcount to more than 100 across its three UK bases by the end of 2023.

Its chief executive and founder Alan Crawley said: “Businesses need significant shifts when it comes to making marked improvements, not tweaks around the edges, and Martin has a track record of success in business transformation at the level we provide. We have hit the ground running this year, and are on track for a major expansion which Martin is a key part of – and we are delighted to welcome him to the team.”

Mr Dowson – who has been regularly invited to guest lecture on design and its value in business at Glasgow School of Art, Napier University and Rutgers University – said: “I am thrilled to be part of the team as we work to realise a visionary and ambitious year ahead. I’m looking forward to working with our clients to combine customer strategy and data science with design and systems thinking to solve some truly systemic challenges for [them].”