Member Spotlight: Danny Masters, CEO, LIMA

Introduce yourself

I’m Danny Masters, CEO of LIMA. We’re a managed IT services business based in Salford, founded in 1997, with around 80 people. We work with ambitious organisations across the UK. A lot of law firms, accountancy practices, housing associations and manufacturers, amongst others. We help them build the IT foundations that get them where they want to go.

I joined LIMA in 2023. Before that I’d spent my whole career in technology, starting out at BT in Birmingham. I still love talking to our customers directly. They all have my mobile number!

Career highlight

Getting Great Place to Work certification with an 86% rating. On paper it isn’t the biggest number I’ve been involved with, but it’s probably the one I’m proudest of. When people love where they work, the customer experience takes care of itself, and we’ve watched that play out in our satisfaction scores.

Name three words that describe your personality

Curious, competitive, impatient. My leadership team might suggest a fourth!

What’s the best thing about pro-manchester?

The opportunity to broaden our network and get great insights and feedback from other businesses about the challenges they’re facing. pro-manchester puts us in front of finance directors, lawyers, property people and manufacturers, all wrestling with completely different problems, and it gives us an opportunity to listen, as well as to talk about our own message.

What are your priorities for 2026?

Organic growth and moving the needle on NPS. Those two things are more connected than people assume. Happy customers grow with you and tell their peers. We win a lot of new business from referrals.

Beyond that, it’s about helping customers structure themselves so they’re in a position to really embrace AI.

And we’ll keep hiring. A few interesting roles are coming up so keep an eye on our LinkedIn channels.

What do you think are the most important things going on in Manchester at the moment?

The new PM is certainly putting a spotlight on Manchester. Whatever your view on politics is, you can’t argue that Burnham becoming PM puts Manchester even more firmly ‘on the map’. Manchester is now the central hub of the north, and Number 10 North will surely only attract more investment and businesses to the region, which is great for the local economy.

Favourite meeting place in Manchester

The Refuge at the Kimpton Clocktower. Lovely building, nice industrial revolution feel, and a great range of different event spaces. But I do also like a cheeky drink in The Wharf in Castlefield!

Are there any particular types of businesses that you would like to meet?

Organisations of 100 to 1,000 people with an in-house IT team that’s stretched or looking at technology transformation.

We work best alongside internal teams rather than replacing them. We’re happiest talking to senior IT leaders who need managed service support to take some of the weight off their teams, and help setting direction with long-term modernisation roadmaps.

Law firms, accountancy practices, housing associations and manufacturers are our strongest sectors. I’m also always interested in talking to businesses growing through acquisition, because integrating IT environments post-deal is something we’ve done many times and it’s often a more complex process than people expect.

Ultimately, we’re looking for companies that want to work with a great local business with a focus on customer and employee. I enjoy working with like-minded businesses who see the importance in prioritising their people and delivering brilliant customer service.