Becky Edlin

Leeds alumni Becky Edlin and Gerard Savva formed Magpie Comms in 2009 as a design and marketing service focusing on the higher education sector. The pair had initially attended Spark’s lunchtime advice workshops to learn about all aspects of setting up a business. Now, four years later, it’s Becky and Gerard who are running workshops and offering advice to enterprising students.

Becky’s role as an enterprise ambassador for the University means that she keeps in contact with students and their aspirations – a vital aspect of Magpie’s work. “Our marketing materials and campaigns are aimed primarily at the student and new generation audiences and we provide our clients with branding, advertising, design, digital media and promotion services,” she said. “Being based on campus is essential to our work as it means we’re immersed in the student community and can carry out market research for our clients almost instantly. Today’s students are the next generation of influencers and leaders, so our clients want to appeal to them.”

Although the higher education sector is still Magpie’s main customer source, the company has broadened both its client base and its staff numbers. “We’re now a nine-strong team and just about to double our office space to accommodate everyone comfortably – and have room for new recruits,” said Becky.

Becky also won an enterprise scholarship and completed the 10,000 Small Businesses initiative.

Find out more on the Magpie Comms website