Orange Bus boss Leighton joins MiNetwork as North East chairman
The boss of growing North East digital agency Orange Bus Julian Leighton is the latest marketing professional to join MiNetwork's panel of regional chairmen across the UK.
Leighton joins his fellow MiNetwork regional chairmen Sera Miller of Material Marketing in Scotland, Nicky Unsworth of BJL in the North West and Terri Smart of Smart Corp in the Midlands in representing the growing networking and business development organisation launched two years ago by The Drum in their respective regions.
MiAwards North East Team of the Year award winner, Orange Bus was launched around four and a half years ago by Leighton and his fellow director Mike Parker and they have gone on to build the business into a multi-award winning digital agency working with clients such as O’Neills, Barclays, Sage UK and Nexus. The business recently moved to new premises at Generator Studios in Newcastle city centre to accommodate its 20-plus staff, a number that is set to grow substantially during 2011.
The appointment will see MiNetwork hosting an increasing number of networking and social events in and around Newcastle during 2011, with input and guidance on content being delivered by Leighton, aimed at giving members in the North East more opportunities to meet and share their thoughts and opinions on industry issues and growing marketing businesses in the region.
Speaking about the appointment of Leighton in the North East, Richard Draycott, managing director of MiNetwork, said: “To have someone like Julian representing MiNetwork in the North East is fantastic. He and his staff have built a great business in a short space of time and I know that they have some very exciting plans ahead for 2011. As our North East chairman I am sure Julian will share some of his knowledge, experiences and passion for creating great user experiences with the network in the coming year.”
MiNetwork is supporting the two-day Design Means Business conference that takes place at the Sage Gateshead in March and has speakers from innovative design companies such as Dyson, Aston Martin, Motorola, Hasbro and P&G.
MiNetwork members can attend the Design Means Business conference for the specially reduced price of £99 + VAT for two days and £65 + VAT for a single day if they book before 11 February.
For more details on this conference and details on how to access the special rates visit the MiNetwork website.