Bristol tech firm Huboo has appointed a former Royal Air Force (RAF) commander as its new chief of staff.
The company - whose technology enables online retailers to access and complete end-to-end fulfilment - said Gordon Bruce's responsibilities would include helping the firm to expand its international operations.
The fast-growing firm said it had identified “further key territories for 2022”, having opened a warehouse in Germany in April - adding to its European sites in The Netherlands and Spain - as well as its largest UK base to date in Wiltshire, which will create 400 jobs.
Mr Bruce will report directly to Huboo’s chief executive and co-founder Martin Bysh, and will be predominantly based at the firm’s head office in Bristol’s Old City.
Huboo said Mr Bruce, would act as a “close and trusted confidant” and adviser to Mr Bysh, in order to execute the company’s fast-paced global growth initiatives.
Mr Bruce’s military career spanned 25 years, during which he helped run UK air, global operations and strategic policy at the heart of Government. In 2000, he received an MBE in recognition of his services to the RAF.
For the past 10 years, he has worked for multinational tech firms such as Fujitsu, leading strategy, international growth and mergers and acquisition.
Mr Bruce previously worked for defence firm Babcock as its UK business development manager and later oversaw its international aviation strategy and bidding and operational delivery for its military aviation business.
Mr Bruce said: “I’m proud to join such an ambitious and innovative business. My aim is to help take Huboo to the next level by being instrumental in achieving its next phase of global growth.
“I look to bring a great deal of logistics acumen and operational knowledge with a focus on delivering exceptional results. I want to ensure that the business is able to develop and progress with the support of happy, motivated and dedicated teams.”
Mr Bysh added: “It’s essential, in order to achieve commercial success, that we build strong teams and Gordon’s skills in this area will equip us to do so. Gordon’s expertise is unparalleled in the areas of international growth and operations logistics and he’s already made huge strides within the business. We look forward to advancing on the next stages of the journey with our latest exciting senior appointment.”
Huboo recently appointed former FedEx boss Allan Blakeley as its chief operations officer.
The firm was launched by Mr Bysh and Paul Dodd from two secure storage rooms at a Safestore in Bath in 2017. It has since grown from two employees, 60 customers and £20,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR), to more than 1,000 customers and £1.7m MRR in five years.
Huboo was identified in a Government report last year as one of three companies within Bristol’s burgeoning tech sector expected to attain a "unicorn" valuation of more than US$1bn over the coming years.
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