New MD takes over at IT firm Mintivo as founder steps aside after six years of rapid growth

WILTSHIRE IT services and solutions company Mintivo has appointed Alex Jukes as its new Managing Director after a fifth consecutive year of growth, with 2022-23 seeing a more than 45 per cent increase in turnover.

Founder Chris Gough is stepping aside as MD, although he will remain a member of the Chippenham company’s board.

Mr Jukes, who joined the company three years ago and has more than ten years’ experience in the sector, said: “I’m really excited about this new role because it’s always been my ambition to get to this type of position.

“I’m fortunate because I’m taking it on at a time where the company is incredibly stable and when we have a strong team in general but particularly a really strong management team who I will be able to lean on.”

He said clients won’t notice the change because the company will maintain its focus on customer service. “It’s going to be business as usual,” he said. “We’re not going to make any major changes but we’re going to try and highlight opportunities to change things for the better at the same time.

“We will look at how we make sure that people who work for us get the opportunities they want. In our market although the most important thing is retaining customers, it is also essential to retain the right people, because people buy from people.”

Executive Chairman Steve Healy said: “We see this as a fantastic opportunity for Alex to step into the role of managing director, he brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to excellence, making him the ideal candidate to lead Mintivo into its next phase of growth.”

Mr Gough, who is also a non-executive director at Wiltshire Friendly Society, said the move has been planned for more than six months and that he will be looking to become involved in other projects while supporting Mintivo as an advisor to the board. “It has been an absolute honour to lead this remarkable team since we started the company back in 2018 and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together,” he said.

“We have an exceptional leadership team who will undoubtedly continue growing Mintivo. I am privileged to have worked alongside such talented individuals, and I have every confidence that they will continue to drive our company forward with the same passion and dedication.”

Mr Jukes said he has made maintaining customer service a priority for the year ahead. “Since day one we’ve reinvested in the business, whether it be people or systems,” he said.

“The goal for us is to keep growing, but our reinvesting over the last five years has put us in a strong position. We will continue to reinvest to underpin our growth, while ensuring we partner with customers that value IT.”

He said the company will make a major investment into upgrading its ITSM system. “Our team is excited about the capabilities of what we’re doing, it’s going to enable them to spend more time on things they want to be doing rather than on administration. It’s going to make us more efficient while allowing our teams to focus on our customers,” said Mr Jukes.

The last year’s growth has been driven by attracting new customers who want to evolve and develop their environment through the use of Cloud technologies. Mr Jukes said: “Our goal is to partner with organisations who want to leverage more from their IT, organisations who want to approach IT in a strategic way and see us as a valuable partner.”

Mintivo’s early clients tended to be in highly regulated sectors including financial services and defence, hence the unusual amount of security and compliance accreditation for a firm of its size, but recent years have seen its client base expand into recruitment, professional services, hospitality and its largest recent growth area, the charity sector. In the last few months it has become the long-term strategic partner for Dorothy House Hospice near Bath, Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Bristol Drug Project.

The company has seen an rise in new customers enquiring about IT support and strategic guidance, averaging two new customers a month with the aim of beginning their digital transformation. “I think the key for us and our growth is not purely down to bringing in new customers, but ensuring we are a good fit for the customers’ needs and we attract customers who want to go on the journey together and who see the value in IT,” said Mr Jukes.

“Our customer attrition is incredibly low and we want to continue to look after all of the customers that have trusted us so far.”

Find out more about the company’s services at mintivo.co.uk.