Introduce yourself! What’s your name and your role?
Hi, I’m James Clarkson and I’m the CEO and founder of Adventoris.
Can you tell us a bit about your business?
Adventoris is a software company offering a mobile app–focused sales platform called SwiftCloud. We were founded in 2012 and now have a team of just under 50 people based at Folly Hall Mills. Adventoris has a diverse range of over 200 clients, including Pipers Crisps, Pukka Pies, AG Barr, and Isuzu.
How do you see Huddersfield?
I have lived most of my life in Huddersfield, being educated at Royds Hall High School and Greenhead College before going to the University of York. I’m grateful for the start in life that it has provided me.
Growing up on a farm at Scapegoat Hill, I have always enjoyed the proximity to green countryside while still being close to the benefits of a town. It’s great to see the town centre benefitting from significant investment to regenerate it, after having suffered over a number of decades.
What surprises you about Huddersfield?
When I grew up, we all saw the predominance of the textile industry in Huddersfield and the wealth it generated, but I was surprised to hear that in the 1950s, Huddersfield apparently had more Rolls-Royces per capita than anywhere else on the planet, other than Beverly Hills.
What change would you like to see in Huddersfield?
I would like to see the town centre completely renewed, with a real focus on entertainment and hospitality to help breathe life into it. A range of quality restaurants would be excellent.
What keeps businesses in Huddersfield?
For industrial businesses, Huddersfield is well placed at the intersection of the M62 and M1 to serve the rest of the UK. For a service business like Adventoris, there is a great supply of talented people in Kirklees and even Leeds and Manchester who are happy to work in Huddersfield.
How has Huddersfield impacted your work?
When we founded Adventoris in 2012, it was a huge help that the town had a place — in the shape of the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre — focused on helping new business start-ups. Because of this, we could lease a fully serviced office, and one day walked in, turned on a computer with a blank Word document open, and simply started designing SwiftCloud from scratch.
What do you think Huddersfield’s future looks like?
If the town centre redevelopment continues with the ambition it has started with, then the future of Huddersfield can be dramatically improved.
