Liverpool Metro Mayor opens ORCHA’s new offices at Sci-Tech Daresbury

Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, visited ORCHA on 24 October, to meet the team and celebrate its extensive new premises.

Mayor Rotheram met team members who reflect ORCHA’s mission to nurture North-West talent: degree apprentice Ben Hodgkiss and Liverpool University graduate Leyla Sollitt, plus Devika Wood, who joined ORCHA after founding her own health app business.

During a presentation to staff, Mayor Rotheram commented on the talent that the Liverpool City Region has to offer and said that this now needs to be matched with opportunity. He said: “For far too long, too many people in our region have been held back from fulfilling their potential, not by a lack of talent, but a lack of opportunity.

“Across the Liverpool City Region, we’re working with local employers to tackle many of the long-term inequalities that have prevented people from getting on in life – and plug the skills gaps facing to ensure that local people are equipped to take advantage of the new jobs and industries that our economy will rely on in future.

“Attracting new and growing companies like ORCHA will have a massive role to play in helping us to create well-paid jobs for local people, drive innovation and deliver opportunity across the entire region. I’m delighted to open their new offices and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them.”

Founding CEO Liz Ashall-Payne said: “It was such a pleasure to welcome the Mayor to our new home at the Sci-Tech Park and I was proud to introduce him to some of our fantastic team members. ORCHA is a home-grown business, always looking for bright graduates from our local universities. And as a female founder of a tech business, I’ve made sure that my female colleagues have the support and encouragement they need to really thrive.”