June 1, 2026
At Equal Experts, we see ourselves first and foremost as a relationship business. The value of our work isn’t just in the solutions we provide; it’s in the potential in every exchange we have with the people in our network. Every now and then, a story comes along that proves exactly what that means in practice. This is one of those stories.
Andy Gray and James Morgan joined the Equal Experts network as associates in 2015, during the early growth of our UK North region. They quickly got to grips with our ways of working and have been involved in some of our most impactful delivery work, including programmes at Barclaycard, GoEuro and Co-op.
It was at Co-op, particularly within Funeralcare, that their contribution really stood out. As technical leaders and mentors, they helped shape a transformation that went on to win more than 10 industry awards in just two years. But whilst their work was impressive, what mattered most was the way they worked – collaboratively, openly, and always with a focus on leaving teams stronger than they found them.
They were also deeply engaged in the life of the network itself. Whether speaking at Expert Talks, contributing to innovation efforts, or simply hacking around and talking tech with the rest of the team, they embodied the curiosity and generosity that underpin our values. As Andy puts it, it was a network where people were “constantly learning, not just playing with new ideas, but actively encouraged to do so.”
Around 2017, their shared interest in blockchain began to take shape beyond client work and they co-founded Blockchain Manchester, a grassroots community exploring distributed ledger technologies.
If people in our network are curious about something, we’re curious too, so Equal Experts got involved by sponsoring the initiative. The curiosity soon evolved into something bigger, and in 2018, Andy and James made the decision to start their own consultancy, BlockRocket.
What happened next is important. In many organisations, something like this might have meant the end of the relationship, but that’s not how our network works. Instead of closing a door, we asked how we could help. Andy and James continued as associates while building their business; we supported early sales efforts, collaborated on opportunities like Investx (our first blockchain client), and gave them space – both figuratively and literally – to grow.
From Andy’s perspective, those touchpoints mattered: the ability to stay connected, draw on the network, and keep relationships intact while building something new. At one point, they were even using the Equal Experts office in Manchester as a base while figuring things out.
There was no financial goal. We just wanted to help good people do something interesting.
BlockRocket’s journey soon took an unexpected turn. What began as consultancy work eventually birthed a side-project called KnownOrigin, co-founded by Andy, James and fellow EE associate David Moore. KnownOrigin was a pioneering platform in the NFT art space, giving artists a new way to share and monetise digital artwork and collectibles. During the COVID period, as interest in digital ownership surged, the platform grew rapidly, attracting global attention.
Eventually, it was acquired by eBay.
For Andy and James, this marked a shift from startup founders to leaders operating at enterprise scale. And that’s when the network came back into play in a whole new way. They reached out to Equal Experts not out of obligation, but because they knew what the network could offer: experienced people who could move quickly, adapt and help them navigate new challenges.
Andy says:
“We didn’t want a big consultancy. We wanted people we trusted, who could go from conversation to delivery straight away. And if something wasn’t right, we could just say it and fix it. That’s what a real relationship looks like.”
It’s easy to look at this as a “rags to riches” story, but that would be missing the point. The golden thread running through all of these events – the thing that stayed consistent throughout – is the relationship.
Andy and James have been associates, community builders, founders, clients and advocates. They’ve worn almost every hat possible in our ecosystem. They still describe themselves as part of the Equal Experts network, and still actively draw on it, whether that’s making connections, exploring ideas or supporting others earlier in their journey.
That mindset is key. As Andy describes it, helping people early – before there’s any obvious return – isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s how he learns and stays connected to what’s new. And it’s how opportunities emerge over time – a long game built on curiosity, generosity and shared learning.
And that’s the essence of our network. Whatever capacity brings you to Equal Experts, the value isn’t just in a piece of excellent work; it’s in a conversation, a question, an experiment, or a cup of coffee. It’s not something you can manufacture. It comes from a way of working that prioritises people over contracts, trust over transactions and long-term value over short-term gain.
As one of our colleagues put it: “we’re a relationship business that happens to deliver great software.”
This story also reflects something else we care deeply about: non-defensive collaboration. There was no sense of “losing” Andy and James when they started their own venture. If anything, their success expanded the network. It created new opportunities, new connections, and new ways of working together.
Equal Experts is owned by its network through the Equal Experts Network Trust. That independence gives us the freedom to focus on what really matters: delivering value, nurturing talent and building relationships that last.
We also have an unusually high concentration of experience; 90% of our consultants have more than ten years’ deep, hands-on expertise. That allows us to work in small, highly capable teams that deliver quickly while helping clients build their own capability.
Andy and James’ journey is a powerful example of what happens when you invest in people, stay open to possibility, and keep relationships at the centre of everything you do. Because when you help each other out (without worrying too much about where it might lead) you often find it leads somewhere far more valuable than you expected.
And sometimes – if you’re lucky – it comes full circle.
All business models have their pros and cons. But, when you consider the type of problems we help our clients to solve at Equal Experts, it’s worth thinking about the level of experience and the best consultancy approach to solve them.
If you’d like to find out more about working with us – get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
