FROM Silicon Valley to Sunderland. Saggezza is at the beating heart of the world’s - and region’s - software cluster.
The Northern Echo speaks to Saggezza’s UK MD, Martin Williams, about how the firm, which develops software that helps its roster of global clients unlock their potential, plans to establish the North-East as a globally-recognised tech hub.
THERE can be no greater compliment paid to a supplier’s work than the client joining their team. And that’s how Martin Williams came to work with Saggezza.
“I worked for an aviation business at the time, and we had a contract with Saggezza to help us make better use of software.
“I was always hugely impressed by the company and all that it stood for. It was highly customer-focused – everything about them is about adding value to their clients and that is something you appreciate. It’s a philosophy that still underpins the business, eight years on, and I think is the reason why Saggezza is so successful in not only retaining clients, but growing relationships with them.”
The company was founded in 2006 by two serial-software entrepreneurs, Socka Suppiah and Arvind Kapur, with a Chicago HQ. A year later, the company had expanded into India, opening its Bangalore base, then San Jose’s Silicon Valley, before London was identified as a target. Step forward Martin.
“I was the company’s first and only UK employee, which was exciting and daunting in equal measure. There was me, a desk and a chair in an office in Paddington… But, I knew the company’s capabilities having worked with them as a client, so I knew we had a valuable proposition.”
Martin’s mission was to take the work Saggezza was doing overseas and use it to demonstrate to the domestic market how they could add value to their business.
“We worked with a printing company overseas, so we pitched to one in the UK and that became our first client. They remain a client to this day. In fact, they’re our largest UK client, so seven years on we are still adding that value to their business that attracted them in the first place.”
So how does the business add value?
“Well, we work as an extension of our clients’ team. We find out what their systems do for them, and we look at how we can make them work harder.
“It’s about putting technology to work to accelerate growth and unlock opportunities.”
The success of Saggezza’s first UK account meant the business quickly grew, with a couple of other clients added to the roster of work very soon after.
“Before we knew it, we were up to a team of 20 employees in London and firing on all cylinders. The offer worked for the UK market, just as well as it did overseas. We could see that there was even greater potential for us.”
London was a great base, but as a ‘small fish in a huge pond’, Saggezza found that its growth was being hampered by the ultra-competitive market in the capital.
“One of the members of our London team was from the North East and suggested it might be worth exploring an office in the region, and so the discussion began,” says Martin, who works between Sunderland and London.
In 2014, Saggezza began the search for possible bases in the region, and found the perfect location in Sunderland.
“The Software Centre was newly opened, and we could see a great fit. It was centrally located in the region, enjoyed great links to London with a rail station and direct connection to The City just minutes away, and of course the building was custom-built for businesses just like Saggezza.
“We met with Sunderland City Council’s business investment team, and agreed to test the viability of opening an office in the centre. It became clear to us very quickly that this could really work.”
Within a year, Saggezza had relocated its UK HQ to Sunderland, and recruited a team of 14 people to service the growing number of clients on its books.
“We found that we were able to attract some fantastic talent in Sunderland. And the location is perfect for us. We’re centrally located and the global team can easily get over to the city when they need to. It’s been an excellent fit.”
The business has ‘completely transformed’ since the move to Sunderland and rapid expansion Martin has overseen.
“I can go on holiday and know everything is going to be fine, for a start!” jokes Martin.
“The team we have assembled are highly capable and have everything well in hand. And relationships with our clients are well established.
“That’s the beauty of Saggezza; we are big enough to work with some of the world’s best-known brands – and we do – but we are small and agile enough to create opportunities for our team to get in front of clients and to make a huge impact quickly.
“I think that’s been the most rewarding part of the job. Seeing people develop and grow – from coming straight from university, with no experience, to working with one of the world’s largest investment banks and delivering the goods. The acceleration of our team’s skills through training and investment is phenomenal.”
Saggezza’s new recruits are quickly put through their paces, with a skills accelerator programme that matches their theoretical knowledge to the real-world capabilities they need in order to deliver for clients.
“We invest in the team to ensure they have the most cutting-edge skills – in turn, that’s what we can offer to our clients.
“We have recently trained a large number of our associates in Quadient and have become a platinum delivery partner for its Inspire suite of software - technology that helps some of the biggest names in business deliver world-class customer communications.”
The partnership means that clients of Saggezza benefit from having access to Quadient technology, combined with the company's own expertise and software - a combination that has already been put in place by a number of Saggezza's existing customers, as well as being something the company expects will attract new clients.
“We already support customers to create innovative software solutions that help them grow, tapping into a range of software suites to aid their business, but the addition of Quadient technology will allow us to take that a step further. It’s an exciting development for us.”
And while the company has achieved impressive results so far, Martin insists it is just the start of the company’s journey.
“We have a growth mindset, because that’s what the business was founded on. Our job is to help our clients to grow through better use of technology, so with that, we have to grow too.
“We have ambitious plans. We’ll be adding to our headcount with a variety of roles, including graduate software developers, java developers, Quadient developers and technical project managers.
“We’ve built a great portfolio of clients, and our team is delivering for them, which is fantastic,” says Martin.
“The next step for us is further expansion – we have a number of live vacancies, but essentially, this is about assembling the strongest possible team to keep up the momentum we have established. If we are able to attract people we believe can help the business to develop, we don’t restrict ourselves to the roles we know there is an immediate need for. It’s about talent, ambition and positive attitude.”
“It’s an ambitious company that is best suited to equally ambitious people. And we’re growing globally, which creates opportunities for people across all of our offices, here in Sunderland, in London, and in India and the US.”
Saggezza is currently hiring for a variety of roles including graduate software developers, java developers, Quadient developers and technical project managers. To find out more, visit www.saggezza.com or www.saggezzacareers.com for details of vacancies, follow @saggezza_inc on Twitter.
FIVE minutes with Saggezza’s UK MD, Martin Williams...
Favourite North-East building and why?
Sunderland Software Centre – it’s the building that made Saggezza’s move to the North East possible, plus it has one of the best equipped board rooms in the world!
What was your first job and how much did you get paid?
Delivering the local paper – about £4/week.
What is the worst job you've had?
I’ve always worked hard but I’m very lucky only to have had jobs I enjoy doing.
What would you cook for me if I came around for dinner?
Something you would like – I’m always eager to please.
What would your superpower be?
Teleportation – I travel a lot and often wish I could teleport.
Name four people, dead or alive, who would be at your perfect dinner party?
Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg.
Most expensive thing you've bought - other than car or house - and how much?
I don’t really buy much. Because we’d never had a HD TV, I bought a 4K TV when they first came out, for about £2,500. Silly money for a TV and a year later the same model was much much cheaper.
Who is the best person to follow on Twitter and why?
I don’t really use Twitter – probably Donald Trump, he’s a bit like every comedy James Bond villain rolled together.
Favourite book?
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor, or Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins.
When did you last cry?
Earlier this year – on hearing of the death of a school friend
What's the best piece of advice in business you've ever been given?
I’ve received lots of business advice. I suppose the best is don’t be afraid of failure.
Favourite animal and why?
The giraffe. They’re tall and sort of ungainly (which I can relate to!), and seem so unlikely to be viable, but somehow they’ve made it to 2018.
Most famous person on your mobile phone?
Rory Sutherland.
What was the last band you saw live?
The Chemical Brothers.
Describe your perfect night in?
Steak and Chips, red wine and a movie with my wife.
In another life I would be...
A landscape gardener.
Who would play you in a film of your life?
An unassuming unheard of actor – who would then win an Oscar.
What irritates you?
People being insincere.
What's your secret talent?
I speak German fluently.
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