Opia, Gateshead, May 31st 2011  Opia Sales Director Adrian Harris swept out of London – first stop Paris – in his Opia-sponsored Porsche 911 [on May 26th] in the iconic Gumball 3000 Rally, named after the 3000 miles the event covers in eight days, including a stopover at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Adrian at the Gumball 3000 start, London

“It’s been a whirlwind and very demanding three years. Gumball 3000 is an opportunity to let off steam but also carry the name of Opia across Europe,” Adrian said before he left on the first leg. “We have plans for further expansion of the business and participation in Gumball 3000 fits naturally into that because so many brands and influential people are involved in it.”

Adrian is updating a blog about the rally at http://gumball.opia.co.uk

Adrian’s participation, to promote Opia on the European stage as a key player in promotional risk management, caps a meteoric rise for the company he founded in the North East just five years ago.  By 2010 revenue had exceeded £6m,  in 2011 staff numbers have shot up to 24 and Opia is providing its services to some of the biggest names in business.

After Paris the rally moves on to Barcelona, Monaco, Venice, Belgrade and finally Istanbul, where its drivers, many well know names from film, music, sport and business, will celebrate with a huge street party.

About Gumball 3000

Founded in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper – entrepreneur, creative director, racing driver and ex-skateboarder – Gumball 3000 is an annual 3,000 mile international road rally that takes place on public roads and uses a different route each year. The Gumball 3000 Group features Maximillion as its CEO and Creative Director and operates several companies under the Gumball 3000 brand, including Gumball 3000 Apparel, Gumball 3000 Films, Gumball 3000 Licensing, Gumball 3000 Events, Gumball 3000 Music and his own creative consultancy company Maximillion Cooper Limited.

About Opia

Opia first appeared in 2006 as a new promotional risk management concept for Mobious, a Newcastle based marketing agency. Given the task of developing the business was Adrian Harris, and in just over a year Adrian successfully made an offer to buy the Opia brand from Mobious – so in 2008, Opia began trading in its own right.

In 2010 Opia posted revenue in excess of £6M and now employs 24 permanent staff. Opia is one of the largest risk management agencies in the UK. Opia uses a range of tools to measure and manage risk, including Per Redemption Pricing, Coupon2Print, and Validation, to name a few. Clients include many well known product and high street names.

Opia Managing Director is Steve Gales, recently appointed to the position and bringing with him more than 20 years sales, marketing and business management experience with Hewlett Packard.

Website: www.opia.co.uk

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For further information please contact:

Paul Whitehead, Western Associates PR
email paul@western-pr.com Tel 01403 711177