Mr Seagrave steps up after 18 months as managing director of the firm’s UK operations, succeeding co-founder Sarat Pediredla, who announced his departure at the end of 2025 as part of a planned succession to allow him to pursue other projects.

The appointment brings considerable pedigree to the role. Mr Seagrave previously led BJSS from 140 to 1,400 employees ahead of its sale to CGI, and helped AND Digital scale from 170 to 1,500 people by heading its Northern operations. He has also held innovation roles at Vodafone and Morrisons.

He inherits a business in strong health. Turnover grew by 30% in the past year, with momentum building through the second half of 2025. Hedgehog lab is targeting revenues of £50 million and expects to create hundreds of new jobs across the North of England and Scotland in the process.

Scotland is already a meaningful part of that story. The consultancy has an established base in Edinburgh, bolstered by the recent acquisition of innovation consultancy Label Sessions, and has Glasgow in its sights for further expansion. The firm also operates from Newcastle and Leeds, with engineering support teams in Romania and Bulgaria, and secured significant backing from BGF — the UK and Ireland’s most active growth capital investor — in 2023 to fund its domestic and international push.

Mr Seagrave is keen to emphasise the firm’s AI credentials, noting that pure-play AI technologies now account for around 40% of hedgehog lab’s business and are growing. The firm embedded the technology into its operations several years ago, and is using it to accelerate prototyping and innovation across sales, product development, and design research.

Alongside commercial growth, hedgehog lab recently achieved B Corp accreditation and is committing a portion of its revenue to community impact through volunteering, pro-bono work, and partnerships with purpose-driven clients.

Mr Seagrave said he was “hugely excited” by the opportunity, describing hedgehog lab as “genuinely unique” for its culture, integrated offering, and people-first approach. “I’m a big advocate for the North of England and Scotland,” he added, “and job creation has been a big part of my career. I want to do that again with hedgehog lab in the years ahead.”