A big moment, and a proud one for the RTC team
29th Jul 2026
By Jamie Ollivere , Chief Executive, RTC North
This has been an important year for RTC North, and with the change in corporate structure, a really personal one for me. My dad always wanted the company to stand for a much bigger purpose than commercial gain, so as I look back on 2025/26, I feel really proud of what the team has achieved, and a clearer sense than ever of who we are and what we are here to do for the North of England.
The move to Employee Ownership felt like the right step at the right time. It protects what matters most to us: our values, our regional focus, and the long-term work of supporting innovation, skills and business growth across the North. In many ways it isn't a change of direction at all. It's a natural continuation of what RTC North has always stood for.
Becoming a certified B Corp in the same year reinforces something we have always believed. Doing well as a business and making a positive impact should go hand in hand. A people-first ownership model means those delivering the work every day now have a genuine stake in the future, and the space to think long term about the people, partnerships and places we invest in.
We were founded in Sunderland in 1989, and we are still proudly based in the city centre. That goes right back to the early days of the digital economy, when my dad saw the opportunity technology offered small businesses, and the need for the right support to help them make the most of it. That same approach shapes what we do today: working alongside businesses to tackle real challenges and helping build lasting capability and confidence.
Across the year, our teams worked with 2,497 businesses across the North, from advanced manufacturing and clean growth to digital, health and defence, helping create or safeguard over 400 jobs along the way. Founders who arrived with an idea and left with a registered company. Manufacturers who cut production times and opened new markets. Businesses scaling across new sites and into international markets. Our new Annual Review brings all of it together, told through the people who lived it.
I won't list them all here. The numbers are worth seeing in context, alongside the stories behind them. So, I'd encourage you to take a few minutes and read the review for yourself. I think you'll come away as optimistic as I am that innovation and entrepreneurialism across the North is alive and well.