Sky moves into new site in Leeds as part of strategy to create hundreds of jobs

A Sky spokesman said the company had marked the start of an exciting chapter as it opened its new site at No. 1 Leeds in Whitehall Road.

The new office will house Sky's expanding customer service teams across two floors once it is fully operational, with new roles still to be recruited over the next year.

Last year, Sky revealed it was creating 500 customer service roles at its new contact centre at No 1 Leeds.

The spokesman said: "Our people at Leeds One will support customers across a range of Sky products and services including Sky Broadband, Sky Mobile and Sky TV.

"The new site builds on Sky’s current investment in the city, which includes Sky@Leeds Dock - the home of Sky’s tech hub which opened in 2015, as well as the Sky Studios ‘Innovation Hub’, which is focused on the development of talent, scripted partnerships and new content experiences."

The spokesman stressed that, while the number of employees based at the site will be expanding there are likely to be fewer on site in the short to medium term as the company continues to focus on employee wellbeing and safety during the pandemic.

Last year, Sky revealed it was creating 1,000 jobs throughout the UK, including a new customer contact centre in Leeds, to meet growing customer demand.

The creation of new roles will see Sky’s UK and Ireland employee base grow to 25,000 employees – an increase of nearly 5 per cent.

As part of the move, Sky will directly employ 500 new engineers to install Sky Q, Sky’s next generation TV platform, into thousands of customers’ homes.

Speaking last year, Stephen van Rooyen, CEO, UK and Ireland for Sky, said: “Our customers love viewing all their favourite shows in one place with Sky Q, so it’s great that 500 new Sky engineers will be hitting the roads right across the UK to meet growing customer demand.

“Together with our expanded team in Leeds, these 1,000 new employees are a real testament to Sky’s commitment to customer service and investment to create a diverse workforce right across the UK.”

Sky originals include popular shows such as Chernobyl, Catherine the Great and Brassic.

In 2019, Mr van Rooyen said industry, government and local councils needed to work together to tackle “long-known challenges” with the North’s transport system to increase the workforce catchment area.

Mr van Rooyen said that investments by Channel 4 and Sky are making national policymakers aware of the North’s potential as a creative base.

He said: “If you look at what companies like Channel 4 have done, and what we’ve done, it’s becoming clear that a place to invest and a place to find great talent is....the North.”

He told The Yorkshire Post: “The investment that we are making is based on the idea that we can find great talent and great opportunities here.”

He added: “Regulators, politicians and policymakers are becoming increasingly aware of that, because the big companies they have relationships with and exposures to are announcing that they are making those sorts of investments.”

Mr van Rooyen made the comments when he visited Sky’s team in Leeds Dock to update them on developments within the firm.

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