Hippo Digital Leeds Appoints CCO as Consultancy Marks 10th Year

Hippo Digital Leeds appoints Andy Kemp as Chief Commercial Officer, bringing 25 years of public and private sector experience from Kainos and BAE Systems as the consultancy targets its next phase of growth

Leeds-headquartered digital transformation consultancy Hippo Digital Leeds has appointed Andy Kemp as Chief Commercial Officer as it enters its 10th year with more than 700 specialists across six UK offices. Mr Kemp joins from Kainos, where he was Director for Public Sector responsible for strategic direction and delivery across UK Government departments. He brings over 25 years of experience in digital and data transformation spanning both public and private sectors, including prior commercial leadership roles at BAE Systems. At Hippo Digital Leeds, Mr Kemp will drive the company’s commercial strategy, build strategic partnerships, and accelerate the delivery of AI-enabled digital solutions for its growing portfolio of public and private sector clients.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Hippo is one of Leeds’ most significant digital economy success stories – founded in the city in 2016 and grown to 700 people in a decade, with offices in Leeds, London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, and Glasgow. Its clients include the NHS, DHSC, DWP, Ministry of Justice, and Virgin. Appointing a CCO from Kainos signals Hippo is preparing for another step up in scale. For Leeds’ digital sector, a 700-person consultancy headquartered in the city, and winning major government and health contracts, demonstrates that public sector digital work doesn’t have to be done from London.

What Andy Kemp Brings to Hippo Digital Leeds

Mr Kemp’s background is in large-scale digital transformation for government and defence. At Kainos he led the public sector division, overseeing delivery across multiple UK Government departments. At BAE Systems he held commercial leadership roles in the private sector. He described Hippo as having built a phenomenal reputation and said that he is eager to expand the company’s reach across digital government, healthcare, and the private sector. CEO and founder Adam Lewis said Mr Kemp’s experience across both sectors and his track record of driving commercial success will ensure Hippo continues to deliver outcomes that set it apart as the business grows.

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“Hippo has built a phenomenal reputation for delivering successful human-centred digital transformation and I am incredibly excited to join the team. We have highly ambitious growth targets and I am eager to lead our collaborative teams in cementing our existing and building new strategic partnerships.”

— Andy Kemp, Chief Commercial Officer, Hippo Digital

A Decade of Growth from Leeds

Hippo was founded in Leeds in 2016 by Adam Lewis. In 10 years it has grown into one of the UK’s largest independent digital services consultancies. The company designs and delivers AI-enabled digital systems for the NHS, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Justice, and Virgin, among others. 2026 has seen Hippo secure significant new contracts across health, government, and private sector alongside continued recruitment. The CCO appointment follows the company’s acquisition by Exponent in 2024, and with six offices nationally and its headquarters in Leeds, Hippo is part of a growing cluster of major digital consultancies choosing the city as their home base.