From a university incubator in Leeds to a 50-strong team supporting more than 500 organisations, Blueberry Marketing Solutions is marking two decades of growth, opportunity and investment in people.

Founded by Managing Director Faresh Maisuria after a last-minute opportunity saw the business launched almost overnight, Blueberry has grown into an established UK business. Their clients span the public and private sectors, including the AA, MKM and AQA to the Department for Business and Trade and other public sector institutions.

Over two decades, Blueberry has supported more than 500 organisations with services spanning B2B telemarketing, lead generation, appointment setting, market research and data services, helping clients reach new markets, build stronger relationships and drive sales growth. At the same time, the company has built a people-first culture, with many colleagues progressing into senior roles and 26 former team members going on to start businesses of their own.

Built in Leeds, strengthened by local partnerships

Blueberry’s story is closely tied to the Leeds business and education community. Faresh started the company from a virtual office at Leeds Beckett University, drawing on incubator support, business programmes and graduate talent in the early years.

Over time, support also came from other local institutions – the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme, local chambers of commerce, Digital Enterprise and regional Growth Hubs – helping Blueberry to grow and stay rooted in the regional ecosystem.

Combining people, partnerships and performance

After completing the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme, Faresh introduced a more structured approach to learning and development and an EMI share scheme to reward and retain staff, helping to build a culture of progression and shared success.

In recent years, the company has:

• Expanded their leadership and management development, including ILM courses and the #WECAN female leadership programme.
• Supported apprenticeships, internships and early-career programmes, including the “From Classroom to Career” talent pipeline ,which earned a shortlisting for Marketing Week’s 2025 Talent Trailblazer Award and created opportunities for young people entering marketing and business development roles.
• Fostered a culture of entrepreneurship – assisting internal staff with their own business ventures and providing time to support students from local colleges, universities and schools.

This focus on people and partnerships has helped Blueberry adapt through economic cycles, industry shifts and the pandemic, while maintaining a clear focus on measurable outcomes for clients.

“We’ve always tried to balance results with responsibility – helping clients hit their targets while creating opportunities for people,” says Faresh. “Seeing former team members go on to build their own businesses, and current colleagues grow into leadership roles, is just as rewarding as the campaigns and contracts we’ve won.”

“Markets, technology and channels have all changed since 2005, but some fundamentals haven’t,” he adds. “Good data, meaningful conversations and a clear strategy still matter. Our role is to bring those ingredients together in a way that works for each client – whether that’s a local authority engaging local SMEs or a manufacturer wanting to grow its customer base.”

Looking ahead

As they mark their 20th anniversary, Blueberry is planning its next phase of growth, including expanding its insight and research capabilities, strengthening its work with existing public sector bodies and considering whether employee ownership could form part of their longer-term future to embed their commitment to shared opportunity.

The company will continue to be based in Leeds and active in the regional business community, including through ongoing involvement with universities, Growth Hubs and local initiatives that help SMEs start, scale and succeed.

For Faresh, the 20-year milestone is as much about people as it is about performance. “The real pride for me is in the individuals who’ve grown with us,” he says. “Our people are who we are, and many have been with us for more than a decade – building careers, starting families and buying homes. “We’re also involved in helping start-ups because we know first-hand how important the right support is in the early days. We’ve benefited from that ourselves, and we’re passionate about giving something back – from signposting businesses to support to helping young people become the next generation of marketers and business leaders.”

“Leeds has been at the heart of Blueberry from day one,” he adds. “The support we’ve had from universities, local partners and our clients has been invaluable, and our focus now is on using what we’ve learned over the last 20 years to keep creating value – for our clients, our team and the wider region.”

Blueberry works with public sector organisations and businesses across education, manufacturing, wholesale, construction supply, events and professional services. Click here to find out how Blueberry Marketing Solutions helps organisations generate high-quality leads and drive measurable growth.

Explore Blueberry’s 20-year timeline.