Entrepreneur takes stake in Ecus to help with expansion

Cumbria-based Mr Ewan has become a shareholder of the company and has taken the role of non-executive director. He founded the Ewan Group, a water sector consultancy which he established in 1987 and grew to 300 staff, with seven regional offices and a turnover of £15m. He negotiated the sale of the business to Mouchel Parkman Plc in 2006.

Mr Ewan’s arrival comes after Ecus opened new offices in Cheltenham and Stirling, with a further location in the south of England being planned. He said: “I have first-hand experience of establishing, successfully growing and selling my own multi-office consultancy business, so I was asked if I could help Ecus with its expansion.

“With this experience I will be able to assist by providing advice and support in managing the growth Ecus desire. There are many potential pitfalls associated with fairly rapid expansion and in moving from a single base to a regional office structure. By working together we will be looking to anticipate and avoid these. I am pleased to be involved. Ecus is a strong business, with good people behind it. It has the potential to go a long way, so I decided to take the opportunity to invest in the company when this was offered.”

Nick Birkinshaw, managing director of Ecus, added: “We are really pleased to have Vince join the company and he has had an immediate positive impact with the way we are managing the office roll out and planning for the future. His knowledge and experience of the sector will be invaluable.”

A spin-out company from the University of Sheffield, Ecus currently employs more than 30 staff. Ecus has a projected turnover for this year of £2m.