Cloud Automation software company Flexiant has made a robust start to the year raising investment of 1 million pounds and appointing John Pocock as Chairman and George Knox as CEO in a move that underscores its ambitious growth strategy.

Pocock has a strong background in the IT and financial services industries and a track record of building and managing successful business, both listed and venture backed. As CEO of IT services company Druid Group, Pocock built the company from revenues of zero to 60 million pounds culminating in a £760 million disposal in 2000. An experienced chairman and non-executive director, Pocock holds chairmanships at software company Cognito, Maven Income and Growth Venture Capital Trust, and Electric and General Investment Trust. John previously served as a non-executive director of Xansa plc.

An experienced CEO, Entrepreneur and board member, Knox has successfully started, grown and sold a number of innovative software companies over the past 20 years including Eclectic Group, and Gamut Technologies. His vision, leadership, track record and insight into the value proposition and requirements of both large enterprises and start-ups will be invaluable to the growth of Flexiant over the coming months as he refocuses the company and positions it for growth.

George Knox explains: "The strategic focus of Flexiant is changing now from developing a product and bringing on early customers to taking that product to market. Flexiant has developed world class technology and my role is to ensure we become a recognised leader in the fast growing Cloud Automation software market. I am proud to be part of the team and look forward to the challenges ahead."

The company's flagship software product, Extility, allows service providers to build their own cloud easily and automate the provisioning of the service.

John Pocock says: "Flexiant has carved a powerful and pioneering position in the cloud computing sector and I am proud to be joining the team here. I bring with me an obsession for strategic planning and believe passionately in the importance of board effectiveness to delivering business success. I trust my experience and skills will be a real boon to Flexiant's business."

The original founders of Flexiant, Tony Lucas and Alex Bligh, retain key roles in the company with Alex Bligh, co-founder of Flexiant and previously CEO, becoming COO and CTO. Bligh says: "Bringing John Pocock and George Knox on board is a real coup for Flexiant. Their background of delivering aggressive growth strategies will be critical to their roles here. This is an exciting time for Flexiant and we are delighted they have joined us to be part of our future."