Leadership and marketing experts at Leeds Beckett University have formed a new partnership with Mercury3 Consult, a programme management consultancy primarily specialising in the rail sector, to support the company’s growth into new services and markets.
The project is a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), part-funded by the Government through Innovate UK. Academics based in Leeds Business School will lead the project to embed in-house, sustainable, skills and expertise within Mercury3 – allowing them to develop new strategic opportunities.
Dr Karen Vollum-Dix, Senior Lecturer with the Leadership, Governance and People Management subject group at Leeds Business School, explained: “Mercury3 Consult are an ambitious and successful business that want to grow to include the delivery of products as well as services, and to reach new clients and markets.
“This KTP will directly address the need for a wider, strategic approach to marketing and re-positioning of the company. We will embed strategic insight within the business, and the skills to measure, analyse and address new opportunities, and increase brand awareness.”
Mercury3 Consult is a specialised programme management consultancy, based in Leeds city centre, with offices in Middlesborough and team members helping to deliver programmes of work nationally.
Mercury3’s relationship with Leeds Beckett University began when one of its three owning directors, Trevor Marshall, took part in the Government-funded Help to Grow: Management programme and discussed the company’s ongoing growth ambitions with the Leeds Business School tutors.
Trevor Marshall said: “Mercury3 is built around the provision of high-quality knowledge and expertise in our team. We want to recruit and retain new talent, and support the development of our team, to grow the business and ensure our knowledge and skills are captured and shared.
“This project will embed a new business model that reflects our diverse and evolving team, whilst also addressing one of our key strategic aims to improve our coordination and efficiency between functions of the business and across our sites.”
The work will be managed by a KTP Associate – a skilled graduate who will be recruited as a full-time member of Mercury3, with the full support of the Leeds Beckett academic team. Alongside Dr Vollum-Dix will be a team of experts in Leeds Business School, including Dr David Andrews – Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Help to Grow tutor and business coach.
