York-based app development company, The Distance, has appointed a new managing director and senior leadership team as the business gears up for the next phase of its journey.

Former Head of Operations Louise Toal takes up the MD role after five years with the business, with Project Team Lead Gemma Oliver filling the newly vacated Head of Operations role. Former MD and company founder, Anthony Main, will move into a more strategic role continuing to oversee and support the business’ ambitions for growth. They are joined on the new leadership team by Senior Account Manager Tom Boatman who has been with The Distance for 4 years.

Founded in 2009, The Distance is one of the longest-serving dedicated app development companies in the world, with a roster of clients ranging from start-ups to multi-billion-pound turnover global enterprises that include Eurotunnel, GNY and PayStream. The company employs 17 people from its York headquarters and prides itself on building an incredibly diverse workforce, of which 41% are female.

Louise Toal joined the company in 2017, after building her own virtual assistant company and sharpening her operations management skills in the NHS. She will now take responsibility for the day-to-day running of The Distance, enabling the team to live by the company’s values to be empowered, creative, experts.

Gemma Oliver joined The Distance 18 months ago, bringing considerable project management skills from previous roles with the NHS and Fera Science.