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Insider UK
Business
Peter A Walker

Edinburgh consultancy firm hires new managing director

Optima Partners has appointed Martin Dowson as its new managing director of consulting.

He is the latest key hire in what the Edinburgh-based business is calling “an aggressive recruitment strategy”, which puts it course to double headcount to more than 100 across its three UK bases by the end of 2023.

Dowson has previously led customer experience design teams are companies including Lloyds Banking Group, BT and Accenture. He has advised on design-led transformation across banking, consumer goods, energy and telecoms.

Dowson is a current fellow at the Royal Society of Arts, invited to guest lecture on design and its value in business at Glasgow School of Art, Napier University and Rutgers University.

His hiring follows Optima Partners securing a £2.3 million investment from BGF last August.

Recent growth has also seen the business post turnover in excess of £5.7m for the financial year 2022.

Earlier this year, the firm announced the opening of its third office, in Bristol, adding to its Edinburgh headquarters and site in central London - with expansion plans into Europe already under way.

Founder and chief executive 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.”

Dowson added: “What attracted me to working with Optima Partners is the recognition that the transformation required to unlock that value must be purposefully designed using a full range of skills and capabilities that are rarely brought together so well.”

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