London-based technology business CloudWize has established a new regional base in Leeds.
The firm, which has operated from the capital since its formation in mid-2023, is managed by co-founders Edward Humphrey and Matt Hyde. The company currently employs a team of 30 developers, engineers and architects.
The move to the Department at Leeds Dock follows the appointment of Katie Mallinson as chief marketing officer in June 2025. Mallinson, a former communications agency owner from Huddersfield, joined the firm when it was valued at approximately £3,000,000. The company has now further expanded its senior management team with the addition of a new chief commercial officer.
Tim Mercer has joined the leadership team following the sale of his previous venture, Vapour Cloud, last summer. Mercer began his career in the armed forces and has worked in the technology sector for over 30 years. After working in the telecommunications industry and various sales roles, he founded Vapour in 2013, where he managed four rounds of venture capital funding and expanded services to include voice solutions and cybersecurity.
Edward Humphrey , CloudWize CEO, said: “Having attended a couple of the region’s digital conferences, we held a pilot event of our own in the city last autumn. This after-work social – AI Chat Club – quickly started to gather momentum and we found ourselves talking to so many investors, partners and prospective clients. We soon realised just how much talent, innovation and spirit exists in this part of the country, so when we decided to bolster our senior team, it made sense for Leeds to become our ‘second home’. I’m really excited for Tim to support our journey to the next level.”
Tim Mercer added: “When I sold Vapour last year, I was very honest in saying I didn’t know where my career would take me next. But the more I spoke to the CloudWize team, the more I realised the potential. In a crowded space, many people are overwhelmed if not tired of hearing about AI. But as a former CEO, with decades of experience procuring solutions for both clients and my own business, I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like this.
“Ed and Matt have assembled an A-team of people who have worked on some of the most complex cloud, automation and AI projects in the world – what most people consider innovation, they’ve already industrialised. And now, they’ve purposefully made these enterprise-grade capabilities accessible for mid-market firms who want to move faster, with predictable outcomes and far less risk. They’ve really levelled the playing field for clients who don’t want to pay to just experiment.”
Image source: CloudWize
