Cloud leader becomes sales director at growing AI firm

Headquartered in London, the fast-growth start-up has already secured £3.2 m of revenue in its first 18 months of operation, with Lee’s appointment set to play a critical role on the path to hitting £9m in the next three years.  

Formerly head of cloud for Tieva and head of cloud and innovation at CloudCoCo, Lee has had a 20-year career working alongside some of the most progressive partners in the channel. With more than half of that time spent driving forward digital transformations through Microsoft, he is a logical fit for CloudWize, which builds all its AI solutions on Azure. 

To coincide with Lee’s appointment, CloudWize has also hired senior innovation manager Jon Franklin. An experienced strategic thinker, Jon has collaborated with hundreds of global industrial organisations throughout his 25-year career, particularly in the energy sector. Having long worked around emerging technologies, he is particularly passionate about scalable AI solutions. 

Yorkshire-based communications specialist Katie Mallinson completes the hat-trick of new hires, with the exited agency owner joining CloudWize as a non-executive marketing director. An accomplished media relations professional, with almost twenty years’ experience building the reputation and revenue of technical brands in the UK and overseas, she too now has a role on the leadership team.  

CloudWize – a brand self-named as the ‘architects of intelligent change’ – was established in 2023 by co-founders Edward Humphrey and Matt Hyde. Having worked alongside government bodies, the world’s largest consultancy, and Fortune 100s throughout their combined careers, the goal was to break away and deliver enterprise-grade AI solutions to SMBs looking to build, automate and scale. 

Commenting on the investment in people at this pivotal stage in the company’s growth, CEO Edward – former EMEA cloud director of a £109m portfolio at Cognizant – said: “The world of AI has exploded, but although adoption is rising, implementation often lacks strategic thinking. This limits what technology is truly capable of.  

“We want to transform how work gets done – by considering AI, processes and people. I genuinely believe we’ve hand-selected some of the best global talent – strategic thinkers who have used AI to revolutionise everything from Formula 1 to the NHS – and we’re bringing that expertise to SMBs and the mid-market. We are really set to level the playing field.”  

Having recently launched a new brand to signal its intent in the tech space, CloudWize is now planning further hires. 

“We’re always on the lookout for creative problem solvers who can help clients unlock faster delivery, smarter decisions, and more adaptive digital experiences," added fellow co-founder, Matt Hyde. “We’ve made a big impact during our first two years, but our future ambitions are huge.” 

There are 23 Azure architects and engineers within the CloudWize team, currently working on projects across finance, legal, renewable energy and manufacturing, with transportation and utilities also predicted to be important markets. 

To help organisations unsure about their digital transformation journey, CloudWize has launched a free AI readiness assessment tool.