Award-winning West Midlands IT business Bold IT has appointed former British Army Major Danny Leitch as managing director as part of its long-term growth strategy.
The Tamworth-based firm has been on a steep upward trajectory since brothers Steven and Anthony Brazier’s management buyout in 2021, which has seen turnover quadruple over the last five years.
It has now appointed Danny to spearhead its long-term strategic growth, utilising his extensive experience leading high-performance teams over a 30-year military career.
Danny joined the Parachute Regiment aged 17 years old in 1993, completed tours of duty in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan and left the Armed Forces in December 2022 at the rank of Major.
He joins Bold IT after holding multiple senior roles at Warwickshire-based real estate investment firm The Wigley Group.
Danny said a universal key to team success is understanding how to get the best out of people – a skill honed on many operational deployments.
He said: “In my military career I have worked within multinational coalition forces, and understanding what motivates people, seeing problems through their lens and understanding how to bind that together to achieve team success was critical.
“The reason I joined Bold was because of the culture which Steven and Anthony have built here. I saw a culture and vision that resonated with me and it’s a journey that I’m really excited to be a part of.
“In the military, there is a sense of belonging and shared vision. You treat your team as you would want to be treated yourself. I believe in the philosophy of servant leadership, empowering the team, binding through collaboration, accountability and buy in from all stakeholders. This is a culture I want to foster at Bold.
“Just like the military, every business involves people. Leadership and management of teams requires an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, individually tailoring communication to support individuals to perform at their best.
“It’s really important to me to lead by the shadow you cast, doing what you say you are going to do and holding yourself to account. Don’t ask your team to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself, recognise and reward when they do a good job and create a psychologically safe environment for them to operate in. People will go the extra mile for you if they see you believe in them.”
Following Danny’s appointment in January, Bold IT has become a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC), a pledge that anyone who serves or has served with the Armed Forces is treated with fairness and respect.
The business has been recognised with an AFC Bronze Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, awarded to employers who pledge to support the Armed Forces community and are open to employing reservists, veterans and their families.
“I am passionate about giving back to the military and recognising what the military and their families sacrifice for our national security,” added Danny.
“When CVs come from reservists or veterans, I pay particular attention to them, specifically to translate their skills. Understanding they are absolutely transferable and to pass screening filters is really important.”
Bold IT won the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year award in 2024 under the leadership of Steven and Anthony, who both welcomed Danny to the business.
Anthony said: “We’re incredibly excited to announce that Danny is joining Bold IT. He brings a rare combination of strategic leadership experience from a 30-year military career and senior operational roles within B2B organisations.
“His proven ability to lead complex teams, drive operational excellence and deliver against long-term strategic objectives gives us great confidence, as we continue to scale the business while remaining firmly focused on delivering high quality service to our customers.”
Steven added: “Danny brings exceptional leadership and a proven ability to build the strong relationships that are vital to our clients and our senior leadership team. We are incredibly excited for Danny to lead Bold IT into this next era as we continue to grow and evolve the business.”
For more information on Bold IT, visit https://boldit.co.uk.
