Tech company Roke opens major new site in Gloucester

Roke, a Hampshire headquartered tech company has opened new office space in Gloucester, as it focuses on further expansion, innovation and technological growth in the area and for the UK.  

The Gloucester opening adds to Roke’s existing sites in Romsey, Manchester and Woking, with the company now employing more than 1,000 people.

The new Gloucester office will support innovation and product development for local clients and partners within the Cheltenham and Gloucester cyber cluster.

The new premises, located at Elmbridge Court, will be home to 200 employees across Roke’s National Security, Defence, Intelligence and Futures business units. Roke is looking to boost employment in the local area with the site currently recruiting for more than 40 new technology roles from software development, data science and AI. 

A key occupant of the office will be Roke Intelligence, the newest business unit dedicated to redefining global standards in commercially outsourced professional intelligence. Founded through the acquisition of Geollect in 2022, Roke Intelligence integrates the expertise and tradecraft of intelligence professionals with cutting-edge technology to better empower clients with actionable insights and a vital competitive advantage in a dynamic global risk environment.   

The opening event was attended by Richard Graham, MP for Gloucester and Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy; Laurence Robertson, MP for Tewkesbury; and Paul MacGregor, Managing Director of Roke, as well as clients, partners and employees.  

Other attendees supporting Roke at the opening event included Ploughshare and The D Group. Ploughshare is the organisation dedicated to ensuring UK government science delivers real prosperity to the economy, society, and the environment. The D Group delivers strategic briefings and insights to governments, partnerships and institutions. 

At the event they spoke about maximising productive innovation within the Defence and National Security sectors to support the UK’s ambition to be a ‘science and tech superpower’. The talk was based on the two organisations’ recent joint report “Unleashing the UK's Innovation Capability to Support Our National Interests”, which Roke contributed to, alongside other leading players in Defence and National Security.

Paul MacGregor, Managing Director of Roke said: “Innovation is at the centre of UK prosperity and our ability to compete globally. The Roke business, and the UK technology ecosystem in which we operate, are critical to driving this, and we believe the new Gloucester office offers us the perfect collaborative environment to enable innovation to flourish. 

“Our new Gloucester office marks our continued investment into building and growing the UK’s technology industry, allowing us to be on hand to better serve our clients and partners. We’re looking forward to investing in the people of Gloucester and Cheltenham, providing rewarding careers and to help in solving real world challenges now and in the future.”  

Gloucester MP Richard Graham added: “Gloucestershire and Gloucester are great places for tech and innovation and I welcome Roke investing in the area, and supporting the UK’s role on the global stage.”