Landing expands management team to drive next phase of growth

 The Landing, MediaCityUK’s technology and enterprise hub, has recruited Maya Dibley and Dan Sodegren to help implement a number of new services and facilities which will be accessible for the first time to non-Landing businesses, as well as to current Landing tenants.

Dibley has been appointed Head of Programmes and Partnerships, and joins from international media corporation Hearst where she worked across product development and brand management for online publications including Company, Sugarscape and Cosmopolitan. She will be responsible for The Landing’s overarching business support programme, tenant liaison and relationships with key partners.

Sodegren, a highly successful digital entrepreneur and well-known technology consultant, joins part-time to lead on The Landing’s direct engagement work with businesses based in the North West, with an emphasis on scale-ups and fast growing SMEs within the health tech, VR and IoT sectors.

Both will also be working very closely alongside The Landing’s CEO Jon Corner to develop the new technical facilities which will see several existing workspaces being completely remodelled.  In addition, they are developing a range of business membership options which will allow external companies access to its world-class technology and labs on a flexible and short-terms basis.

Maya Dibley said: “It’s a fantastic time to be joining The Landing as it is about to enter a major new phase in its evolution to address the rapidly changing needs of the sector. This includes installing next generation technology specifically geared towards emerging sectors such as health tech, Virtual Reality and IoT, and we are reshaping the internal fabric of the building to create work spaces where collaboration will be able to truly flourish.”

Dan Sodegren said: “My role is primarily to look at how we can offer fast growing businesses easy and cost-effective access to the tools, testing environments and professional support required to commercialise ideas and get them to market quickly. What’s been really great about the project so far is that the feedback we’re getting from people at the frontline of tech and enterprise, regarding what they want and need, is directly shaping The Landing’s new direction.”

Jon Corner said: “To help The Landing deliver the step-change required to meet demands of industry we needed to find some high calibre individuals who really understand the needs of business and entrepreneurs. In Maya and Dan we have achieved this, and I am very excited about what the next 12 months has in store for The Landing itself, our tenants and the businesses we will be helping to grow.”

It is anticipated that the first phase of The Landing’s redevelopment will be complete by mid-autumn.