BUSINESS BITES
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Director – Tom Roberton founded Circle Cloud with Michael Povey in 2012.
Stockton IT firm marks expansion with recruitment drive and new office space
A
growing IT firm has revealed a new phase of growth, marked by strategic team expansion and a move into new office space.
Stockton-based Circle Cloud has made three key appointments while expanding into larger space at its Fusion Hive HQ.
The cloud-focused managed service provider has added marketing manager Lisa Stidwell, business development manager James Whitehouse and onboarding and automation engineer Harrison Jones to its team.
And to support this growth and accommodate additional hires planned over the next 12 months, Circle Cloud has secured new office space designed to encourage collaboration, innovation and enhanced customer support.
Planning granted for £ 25m transformation
Planning permission has been granted by Stockton Council for the landmark redevelopment of Kirklevington Hall, the former Judges Country House Hotel in Kirklevington, Yarm.
The decision gives the green light to a £ 25m-plus private-sector investment that will breathe new life into the historic estate, transforming it into a high-end mixed-use leisure destination.
As part of the wider masterplan and to support the overall viability of the scheme, an exclusive gated community will also be created, comprising a collection of luxury, premium self-build homes, offering
Circle Cloud has experienced 25 % growth in its most recent financial year and is on track to achieve similar growth again.
The company’ s founders, Tom Roberton and Michael Povey, began working with cloud technology in 2012, taking part in one of the earliest implementations of Microsoft 365.
Since then, their firm has grown steadily into a trusted cloud partner for businesses across the region and beyond.
“ Our growth reflects the trust our clients place in us and the strength of our peoplefirst approach,” said Tom.
“ Expanding our team and investing in a new office gives us the foundation we need to continue delivering clarity, security and reliability as our clients grow.”
Development – planning permission has been granted for a £ 25m overhaul of Judges in Kirklevington.
secluded, private living, moments from the market town of Yarm.
With infrastructure works now set to commence within the next few months, the construction phase is expected to support between 120 and 180 direct and indirect jobs.
BUSINESS BITES
BULK BENEFITS The multi-million-pound upgrade of Redcar Bulk Terminal’ s( RBT) deep-water quay has been completed, delivering a major boost to local employment and the regional supply chain.
Awarded in 2025 to North- East-based Southbay Engineering, the project upgraded part of the 320m quay to accommodate the arrival of large-scale equipment weighing up to 3,500 tonnes.
The improvements to the quay – critical enabling infrastructure for the construction of NZT Power and the Northern Endurance Partnership – will help secure the terminal’ s long-term future and support operations at RBT for the next 50 years.
CEO SLEEPOUT CASH Business leaders from across Teesside swapped warm beds for cold concrete as CEO Sleepout UK returned to the Riverside Stadium for its 2026 Middlesbrough event.
The overnight challenge brought together business owners, professionals and community leaders from across the region to spend a night outdoors in solidarity with people facing homelessness, poverty and hardship in Teesside.
The event has already raised more than £ 23,000 for frontline organisations supporting vulnerable people locally.
EVEREST CHALLENGE Business teams from across the north raised more than £ 13,000 for good causes in a gruelling Everest Challenge.
More than 60 hikers each tackled 16 laps of Teesside’ s iconic Roseberry Topping – the distance equivalent of climbing Mount Everest – in a challenge organised by SME sales, marketing and training consultancy, Just Williams.
LAW FIRM EXPANDS Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors has opened a new office in Darlington, marking a significant step in the firm’ s expansion into the North- East.
The firm’ s ninth office, based in Business Central – just a two-minute walk from Darlington railway station – will provide commercial, practical and supportive legal advice to businesses and individuals across County Durham, the Tees Valley and wider region.
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