Internet service provider Zen Internet is to open an office in Leeds city centre and has strong growth plans for the next 12 months.
Founder Richard Tang told the London Internet Exchange that the aim is to add 83 UK jobs this year.
The Rochdale-based firm currently employs 490 staff but its HQ has space for 1,000.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just about to open another office in the city centre of Leeds,鈥� he told the quarterly meeting of the not-for-profit organisation.
鈥淲e鈥檙e also open to acquisitions but haven鈥檛 found one yet that fits into our strategy and culture鈥� but we鈥檙e looking at that in the background.鈥�
Zen Internet recently reported an annual turnover of 拢71m 鈥� up 11 per cent on the previous year 鈥� with operating profit of 拢3m (up 55 per cent).
The company, which has 126,000 broadband customers, aims to become a 拢100m business within three years and a 拢250m firm within ten years as it takes on giants BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk.
Late last year Tang, who started Zen from his parent’s home in Rochdale in 1995, stepped down as CEO in a 鈥榡ob swap鈥� with previous chairman Paul Stobart.
鈥淗e shares my values about business and he鈥檚 grown businesses from Zen鈥檚 size to much bigger than Zen鈥檚 size,鈥� Tang told the LINX members.
鈥淸I knew] he could potentially do my job better than I could do it and it would free me up to do other things to promote Zen.鈥�