An MBA graduate is taking on IT consulting giants like Accenture and Capgemini – and beating them.

An MBA graduate is taking on IT consulting giants like Accenture and Capgemini – and beating them.

Every second 35,435 gigabytes of data is generated on the internet and how to control just a fraction of that piling into a company website and on its IT system is proving a huge headache and an even bigger business. But with just 11 staff, Leigh Wells' Comma Group based in Warwick, has found a niche solution in the market to take on the big guns.

Wells' success is recognised by the prestigious Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, having been shortlisted for two categories; The Lloyds Bank New Business of the Year and The Duke of York New Entrepreneur of the Year.

Leigh grew up with his parents in the pub trade, going straight into work from school, starting on the helpdesk of Solaglas in Coventry, before specialising in project management and working his way up to bigger assignments including the division of Northern Rock.

Inspired to start his own company, Leigh used his executive MBA to hone his venture, using his dissertation on Uber and Airbnb's business models to develop an opening in a crowded market and inspire his own lean company.

Comma now has a growing network of consultants and with specialist knowledge in Master Data Management, and the business has been profitable from the start.

“In our first week, we signed up three FTSE 150 companies,” Leigh said. “I knew from day one we would make a profit.”

Hear Wells' success story, plus many other at the National Business Awards ceremony.