International game changer expands HQ in Leeds

The announcement comes as Perform takes part in Innovate 2016, alongside the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which supported the company�s expansion in the region. The two organisations have joined forces with the Department for International Trade�s Northern Powerhouse team to highlight the strength of innovation in the North and particularly the strength of the digital sector in the UK�s largest City Region outside of London.

Perform is based at 8 Park Row in Leeds and opened its first Leeds office in 2012 and has since grown to cover four floors of the city centre building. The company is the world�s leading provider of live, detailed sports data via Opta, part of Perform Content, and also operates Perform Media, a collection of sport-focused digital platforms, which includes titles such as Goal.com. Its recent innovation in the sports media sector came earlier this year, with the launch of DAZN in August, the world�s first truly dedicated live sports streaming service.

Perform�s constant innovative strategy and sustained growth has resulted in its expansion, with Leeds City Region selected on the basis of the ready supply of talent, fuelled by the nine universities and 14 further education institutions.

Ben Warn, CEO of New Ventures at Perform Group, said:

�Perform Group is at the pinnacle of digital sports content and media globally, as such we require the best people from analysts and coders through to account managers. When it came to the expansion we looked globally at where we could find the right people, with the right attitude in the right location, and it was then we realised we were already here in Leeds and just needed to expand.

�Over the last four years we�ve developed some fantastic relationships across the Leeds City Region, particularly with the universities. We also understand that the City Regions offer a unique environment that appeals to our employees�.

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, added:

�The expansion of Perform Group in Leeds is fantastic news and a testament to the confidence within the City Region and in our digital sector. In fact Perform is the latest in a string of international businesses from this sector to locate and expand within our region in the last 12 months, including household names such as Sky and Google.

�Our region has a heritage of being pioneers, whether that be Louis Le Prince shooting the first video in Leeds, or Prof Simon Kay completing the first double hand transplant; and I know that Perform Group continues this tradition of being innovators and disrupters. It is therefore wonderful to hear a global firm reference its ability to find and attract the right talent for their business within our City Region.

�The LEP is working with the region�s leading universities and colleges to invest in the skills for the future labour market, helping to create a pipeline of talent that businesses like Perform Group can benefit from. In turn these international firms create career opportunities which ensure that the region is able to retain more of the world class talent it produces.�

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake added:

�This is very welcome news for Leeds and offers further evidence of the growing reputation of the city as a leading digital sector and technical innovation hub. Another major world-leading company like Perform Group investing in Leeds and strengthening its roots in the city by expanding and creating new jobs is fantastic and is a great reflection of how Leeds is now viewed on a global level which should be a source of real pride.�