Partner Article

Sailing into new markets

A SOFTWARE firm has landed a deal with Britain’s Americas Cup sailing team and is looking to grow its workforce by around 50% as it develops a new cloud computing service.

Gateshead’s Orchid Software has won a contract as the preferred intranet provider to TEAMORIGIN, the sailing team created by entrepreneur and former international president of the London 2012 Olmpics bid, Sir Keith Mills.

The team’s commercial arm will use the Tyneside firm’s Orchidnet product to manage its back-office duties.

Meanwhile, £1.5m-a-year Orchid is looking to add up to 10 new member of staff to its 19-strong workforce in the next year as it prepares for the mid-2011 launch of a new ‘software as a service’ (SAS) product which businesses can access remotely online.

Orchid’s current list of clients includes clothing brand Jack Wills, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Academy of Music, while historically it has worked with the likes of Greggs and Nissan.

TEAMORIGIN was formed in January 2007 by Sir Keith Mills, who was instrumental in bringing the Olympic Games back to the Great Britain for the first time since 1948.

The team is backed up by athletes such as team Skipper and Helmsman - and three times Olympic Gold medallist - Ben Ainslie.

Orchid’s managing director Ajay Sood said: “TEAMORIGIN is a globally-renowned name in the sporting arena, and we look forward to supporting their efforts in the best way we know how –by providing a world-class intranet for their business operations.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .