News & Updates Black Cat expands into Leeds as we continue to grow across the North Black Cat is continuing its UK growth with the launch of a new Leeds office, strengthening its reach across Yorkshire, the Northeast and the wider northern market. With established teams already operating across the Northwest, the move into Leeds will give Black Cat greater depth across both sides of the northern market. It allows us to build stronger local relationships, support more clients on the ground and continue developing the kind of regional presence that reflects how our clients actually work. “For us, Leeds feels like a natural next step. It’s a confident, ambitious city with a strong commercial property market, major public sector influence and a clear role in the future of the North. As investment, regeneration and development continue to move through strong regional centres, Leeds gives Black Cat another important base from which to support clients across the country. It also strengthens our reach across the Pennines.” Stephen Barnes, Black Cat Director & Founder Building a new regional team At Black Cat, growth has always started with people. That is why we are delighted to confirm the promotion of Amie McGagh to Leeds Office Lead, alongside her continuing role as Public Sector Lead. Amie has played an important role in developing our public sector offer and building trusted relationships with clients across the UK. Her new leadership role in Leeds reflects both her contribution to Black Cat so far and the opportunity we see to build a strong, locally rooted team in the city. We are also really pleased to welcome two Leeds-based colleagues to Black Cat: Tom Shaw, who joins as Director, and Lucy Chappell, who joins as Associate Director. Tom and Lucy both join us from Gleeds, bringing significant experience across public and private sector work. Their expertise adds further strength to our offer, particularly around building compliance, fire regulations and the kind of clear, commercially focused advice that clients expect from Black Cat. A greater presence across the North This move is not just about opening another office. It is about investing in a city, backing a talented team and continuing to build a business with genuine regional strength. Leeds gives us another platform to grow our presence across Yorkshire and the Northeast, while strengthening our ability to support clients across the North as a whole. It also reflects something we believe strongly: national coverage works best when it is built on local knowledge, senior people and proper relationships. That is what we are building in Leeds. We are excited about the opportunity ahead, excited to support Amie, Tom and Lucy as they develop the team, and excited to bring more Black Cat energy to one of the UK’s most important regional markets. For further information, please contact:
 Amie McGaghDirector & Leeds Leade: amie.mcgagh@bcconsultancy.co.ukm: 07949 167 989Li: Amie McGagh   Latest News… All Posts Blog Insight News Podcast Team News News, Team News What BGF’s investment means for Black Cat and our clients August 18, 2026 Podcast Black Cat Chat: S2 Ep05 with Tom Smith, Development Advisory Lead July 30, 2026 News Shortlisted for Fit-Out of the Year July 29, 2026

News & Updates What BGF’s investment means for Black Cat & our clients Our recent investment from BGF marks an important moment in Black Cat’s development. More than a decade after we started the business, it gives us the backing to continue growing our team, expanding our regional presence and strengthening the services we provide to clients across the UK and Ireland. When Black Cat was founded in 2015, the ambition was straightforward: to build a consultancy that gave clients practical, honest advice, while creating a workplace where talented people could do their best work. That approach has helped us grow into one of the UK’s leading independent building consultancies, with 93 employees, a growing network of offices and projects managed totalling more than £734 million across 83 million sq. ft. We have also been recognised as the Best Medium-Sized Place to Work in the Building & Construction Industry in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026. The investment from BGF will help us build on that progress. Why BGF? BGF is the UK and Ireland’s most active growth investor, providing patient, minority capital to ambitious businesses. Its approach is designed to support founders and management teams over the long term, without taking control or imposing a fixed timetable for growth or exit. That was important to us. We were not looking for an investor to change Black Cat or impose a formula on the business. We wanted a partner that understood the importance of long-term growth, regional expansion, strong leadership and a distinctive culture. “We’ve never wanted to grow simply for the sake of putting more dots on a map. The point is to build a better business, with the right people, the right expertise and the capacity to give clients the same level of attention as we grow. BGF gives us the backing to do that properly.” Ben Golby, Director & Founder BGF’s portfolio includes businesses as different as Gousto, Emma Bridgewater, Brompton and Cass Art. We’re clearly not comparing Black Cat to a recipe-box company, a pottery manufacturer, a bicycle brand or an art retailer. The relevance is in how these businesses have used investment to become more capable while retaining a clear sense of who they are. BGF first backed Gousto in 2015. Its investment helped the business strengthen its team of chefs and nutritionists, broaden its sales and marketing activity, increase its technology capability and develop new fulfilment centres. BGF subsequently made seven further investments, supporting Gousto’s growth into a business valued at more than $1 billion in 2020. Emma Bridgewater provides another useful example. The £8 million investment made in 2020 supported further UK growth, international expansion and increased output from its Stoke-on-Trent factory, while the business continued to be built around its distinctive designs and traditional manufacturing approach. Brompton shows how investment can support innovation and international growth while protecting a strong independent identity. BGF’s £19 million investment was intended to help the business expand into new markets and invest in new technology and robotic manufacturing capabilities. At the time, Brompton exported 80% of its bikes to more than 40 countries. Cass Art is perhaps the clearest parallel with Black Cat’s regional ambitions. Following its £3.2 million BGF investment in 2013, the business planned to expand beyond London through new stores and further investment in its e-commerce platform. Its stated ambition was to connect with creative communities across the whole of the UK. The common thread is clear. Investment can help a business reach more people, develop its team, improve its systems and respond to growing demand, without losing the qualities that made it successful in the first place. “The important thing for us is that Black Cat still feels like Black Cat. We’ve built the business around being straightforward, accessible and good at what we do. The investment gives us more room to invest in our people, develop our services and be where clients need us, while keeping that way of working at the centre of it.” Stephen Barnes, Director & Founder What will the investment mean for clients? For our existing and future clients, the investment will create greater depth, expertise and resource. It will support us to: Expand into new locations where clients have asked us for local expertise; Recruit and develop more talented people; Strengthen our specialist service lines; Bring together expertise across a wider range of disciplines; Invest in the systems and infrastructure needed to support a growing business; and Continue delivering practical, senior-level advice as clients’ portfolios and projects become more complex. Our clients will continue to work with the same direct, approachable Black Cat team. The difference is that we will have greater depth behind that team, allowing us to support more instructions, respond to changing requirements and provide a broader range of expertise as projects develop. The appointment of Ian Plumb as Non-Executive Chair will also bring valuable experience to the business. Ian has a strong track record of supporting ambitious founder-led businesses through periods of growth, helping them retain the culture and values that made them successful in the first place. For us, this is not about becoming a different kind of consultancy. It is about giving us greater depth to support our clients as their portfolios and projects become increasingly complex. “A lot of our growth has come from clients trusting us with the next instruction. We want to build on that trust without losing the personal approach that got us here. This investment gives us the opportunity to develop our people and services properly, and to keep raising the standard of what clients can expect from an independent consultancy.” James Dyson, Director & Founder Black Cat has always believed there is a better way to build a consultancy, one based on trust, transparency and giving good people the opportunity to succeed. The investment gives us confidence in the next chapter of Black Cat’s story. We remain founder-led, independently minded and focused on doing the right thing for our clients and