Newport- headquartered IT consultancy Certus IT has appointed former Welsh rugby captain Paul Thorburn as its new business development consultant.
Paul, 50, who lives in Swansea, is a former Neath RFC and Wales full-back, and captained the Wales team in 1989 and 1991.
After retiring from professional rugby in 1991, Mr Thorburn worked for the then Welsh Development Agency, helping to attract inward investment to Wales.
He went on to combine his passion for rugby with his business development skills, first as tournament director for the Rugby World Cup in Wales in 1999, then as strategic project manager for the Welsh Rugby Union, helping to bring 2007 Rugby World Cup matches to Wales, as well as fulfilling a commercial role. He was also strategic development manager for the Ospreys, where he worked to secure income and sponsorship for the club.
In 2010 he set up his own business consultancy, Paul Thorburn Ltd, and has since used his expertise and an extensive list of contacts to help businesses grow and expand.
Mr Thorburn said: “Certus IT has very ambitious targets and I like the sound and feel of what they have to say. The services they offer are very attractive to both big businesses and SMEs, and the demand is only going to grow over time.
“I have more than 25 years experience working within the Welsh businesses community and have developed some excellent relationships and contacts during that time. I am looking forward to using this experience to help Certus expand its client base throughout Wales.”
Nigel Griffiths, commercial director for Certus IT, said: “Paul has a huge amount of business development experience and is very well respected within the Welsh business community.
“We are keen to expand our client base down the M4 corridor and into the west of Wales. Paul has excellent contacts throughout Wales and with him on board we are confident that we can continue to expand and increase our offering across the country.”
Certus IT’s growth plan includes ambitions to expand its 30 strong workforce to around 80 in the next three years.
Certus IT is headquartered at the Celtic Springs Business Park in Newport and currently serves over 200 customers across the UK and Europe. Clients include online insurance specialist Go Compare, the Millennium Stadium, Freshwater, Broomfield & Alexander, Premier Global, Julian Hodge Bank, Tenovus and Watts Gregory LLP.