Chuka Umunna is back. Former Labour leadership hopeful picks up tech directorships

Chuka Umunna, the former Labour leadership hopeful who quit politics after failing to win a London LibDem seat at the last election, has re-emerged with a role at a UK tech firm.

The former shadow secretary of state for business, innovation and skills has taken up a role at Advanced, which supplies cloud software to clients including the NHS.

The position suggests he will take on several corporate jobs as he re-enters the private sector. Before entering politics, he was a corporate lawyer specialising in mergers and acquisitions.

Advanced said he will be "advising the company on its accelerated growth plans post Covid--19, to become a £600 million business within the next five years."

In August 2019, Advanced secured investment from international private equity firm BC Partners, with Vista Equity Partners continuing as an investor, in a deal worth £2 billion.

The investment will accelerate the growth of Advanced’s Cloud-based solutions across industries including healthcare, education and law.

Ex-Streatham MP Umunna, who quit Labour to set up the short-lived Change UK party in 2019, said: “I am delighted to be joining the board of Advanced as it moves into its next growth phase. This is an exciting time - its recent investment deal demonstrates huge confidence and optimism in the organisation and I’m looking forward to working with the team to develop its strategic plans as we look ahead to further acquisitions and organic growth across the business.”

Advanced has undergone a sizeable transformation over the last five years, with its CEO Gordon Wilson realigning its structure and recruiting more than 900 new hires.

It was founded in 2008 by Vin Murria, a UK businesswoman, who sold the firm to Vista for £765 million in 2015.