Focus Dinner with Mike O'Brien, Opencast

When Mike O’Brien accepted our Entrepreneur of the Year award in October 2022, for his role in growing Opencast into one of the UK’s fastest-growing technology consultancies, he did so by acknowledging just how far Opencast had come.

In 2012, with a laptop, a desk and a shared office in Hoults Yard, Mike and Charlie launched Opencast as a new type of technology consultancy, one which would challenge the traditional model by putting people first.

Armed with this mission, Opencast steadily grew, becoming one of the fastest-growing technology consultancies in the North East. Today, across four UK bases, over 400 individuals make up the Opencast team (a number which is expected to hit 1,000 in the next few years).

Yet despite this rapid growth, Mike has worked hard to maintain the mission and values he and Charlie set for the company eleven years ago.

So much so that in 2021, Mike and Charlie announced they would give away a third of their Opencast shares to their staff via their Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) – a scheme which rewards loyalty, encourages career progression and preserves the independence of the business as it grows.

And the strategy has certainly paid off – in 2022 alone, Opencast has doubled its headcount and celebrated rising revenues too as it meets the increased demands of its clients.

Whilst spearheading Opencast’s incredible growth, Mike has also played a fundamental role in the championing the North East tech community as both a co-founder of Dynamo (the not-for-profit membership organisation which aims to grow the North East tech economy through collaboration, innovation and skills) and as an early stage investor in Atom Bank.

With ambitious future growth plans for Opencast, including becoming a FTSE 250 company, join us for an evening with Mike and learn more about how he is ensuring community, client satisfaction and culture are at the heart of Opencast.

The Small Print - This event is exclusively for entrepreneurial members of the Forum and costs £75+VAT for a three-course meal, payable in advance.

By registering to attend this dinner you agree that your place is non-transferrable. We are unable to reimburse this cost if cancellations are received after 12noon on Monday 6th February.