Give us a brief overview of your organisation
Waterstons’ team of technical, cyber and advisory experts have been creating digital clarity since 1994.
Blending technology with strategy, the 300-strong team of specialists has forged long-term, trusted partnerships with, and delivered brilliance to, organisations across the UK and beyond.
From system creation and selection, data management and reporting, to cyber security and digital transformation, we’re able to support every area of a business’s operational function to create efficiencies, unlock value and realise goals.
No matter what area of a business we work with, we understand that strategy is key, and we work hard to ensure all parties are involved in the development, and delivery, of the chosen route of progression.
What are the benefits of basing your business in the North East?
The North East is a blossoming tech hub which not only gives us an excellent talent pool to tap into but also a network which allows us to build industry peers for us to learn from. The tech scene in the North East is really exciting at the moment and we want to do a lot more in the region. We have a very strong manufacturing heritage and the business wouldn’t be where it is today without having this.
We’ve also had long-standing relationships with North East universities and these relationships have really helped us grow the business. The North East is a friendly place to do business and we want to engender that friendliness into other places from which we operate. People build collaborative networks here and there’s a can-do attitude too and we want to bring these qualities elsewhere.
As a fully national, and international, company, having our HQ in the North East means our team and clients are never far away due to the excellent road, rail and air travel links.
How does your organisation strive to make a positive impact on the local community, and why is this important to your overall mission?
We have a large graduate intake every year, and this is how we’ve grown the business historically and we want to continue with this, and to also further develop our apprenticeship intake.
Many of our people spend time supporting areas of the community – from hosting Women in Tech networks, software meetups and sharing career and technical experiences in schools, to sitting on charitable boards and volunteering with the St John Ambulance.
As a people first business, that means all people – clients, colleagues and the community.
What are your hopes for the future of the North East’s tech and digital industry?
The North East – and UK-wide – tech and digital industry is flourishing, and we can see how much emphasis is being put on these services by organisations to help them grow, better serve their customers, and build better businesses.
With so many fantastic colleges and universities in the region, we’re excited to see the innovation, talent and progress joining the industry in the future, keeping as much as possible right here in the region.
What are your business objectives for the next 12 months?
We want to grow but do so profitably and sustainably, making sure we look after our people by giving them long, fulfilling careers and helping our clients grow by solving their problems. If we continue to grow the business, we will create new opportunities for people to learn and develop, to challenge our people and at the same time helping our clients to do different things. We’re clearly focused on what we do well and trying to bolster our offering.
We expect to see our cyber security, advisory and digital services continuing to grow throughout our core sectors both here in the UK and in Australia where legislation and practices on this is well behind that in the UK. AI and innovation will also be an increasingly important area for us with a newly formed, dedicated team.
Why did you join Dynamo?
We joined Dynamo because we wanted to be where the action is. We are proud to sit alongside some of the country’s best businesses in the tech and digital industry; learning from each other, developing the next generation and showcasing the region as the ‘place to be’.
