Hedgehog lab names new chief executive

A Newcastle-headquartered digital consultancy is preparing for a major expansion drive across the North of England and Scotland following a leadership change aimed at accelerating growth.

Hedgehog lab has appointed Malcolm Seagrave as its new chief executive, succeeding co-founder Sarat Pediredla, who stepped down at the end of 2025 as part of a planned succession.

Malcolm previously served as managing director for the firm’s UK operations and brings extensive experience scaling technology businesses. 

His career includes senior leadership roles at BJSS, where he helped grow the company from 140 to 1400 employees before its sale to CGI, as well as AND Digital, where he supported rapid expansion across the North.

Malcolm said: “I’m hugely excited to be taking on the chief executive role at hedgehog lab. 

“I’ve scaled digital consultancies before, but this is genuinely unique – the company has built an impeccable culture, a great team, and the integrated offering is a real differentiator. 

“We have all the foundations in place to take this business to another level and now it’s about executing our strategy as a tech company that puts people first.

“AI is a huge strength for us – it’s built into everything we work on, but pure-play AI technologies represent around 40 per cent of our business, and that is growing. 

“Embedding it in sales, products, and design research is allowing us to make rapid prototypes and dialling up our ability to innovate. 

“We invested heavily in the technology a few years ago, and that decision is beginning to pay off.”

Malcolm’s appointment follows a strong year for the consultancy, which reported 30 per cent turnover growth and is targeting £50 million in revenue while creating hundreds of jobs across northern England and Scotland.

Backed by growth investor BGF, hedgehog lab operates from Newcastle, Leeds and Edinburgh, with engineering teams in Romania and Bulgaria.

The company recently strengthened its Scottish presence through the acquisition of Label Sessions in Edinburgh and is exploring further expansion in Manchester and Glasgow.

Malcolm added: “I’m a big advocate for the North of England and Scotland, helping to grow their economies. 

“Job creation has been a big part of my career and something I really enjoy – the businesses I have scaled have gone on to create hundreds of jobs. 

“I want to do that again with hedgehog lab in the years ahead, giving back to the regions we’re part of through our community initiatives at the same time.”

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