Kids coding franchise, Code Ninjas, has opened its third UK location, in the residential town of Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire. The brand has also welcomed its 18th UK franchisee team, Nick Susta and Carmen Siciliano, to the growing network.
The married couple, who have two children aged 12 and six, will run their franchise in East London. They decided to invest in a Code Ninjas franchise after researching opportunities that would combine Nick’s background in business operations and the couple’s shared passion for children’s coding education.
“I’ve worked in corporate finance since moving to the UK from Italy 20 years ago,” explained Nick. “In the last couple of years, I found myself looking for long-term investment opportunities that would mean I could work for myself, rather than large-scale international banking groups. As working parents, both Carmen and I see such value in the benefits of equipping children with the necessary skills to thrive in a digital world. Code Ninjas was the perfect solution for us. I attended a Discovery Day late last year and was instantly blown away by the professionalism and passion of the brand. Joining them in their mission of becoming the number one kids coding provider across the UK was a no brainer for us.”
Nick and Carmen hope to become valued entrepreneurs in their community, by running a programme that fulfils the growing need for digital literacy.
“If lockdown has taught us anything, it’s that digital technology sits at the core of so many households – whether that’s parents trying to keep their children engaged and occupied, young professionals working from home, or the elderly trying to maintain contact with loved ones. Teaching children in our own community to navigate and create digital systems confidently – whilst also having fun! – is going to be so rewarding for us both. We can’t wait to get started,” added Carmen.
Nick and Carmen join Code Ninjas during what is proving to be an exciting year of innovation and change. Despite the short-term postponement of the launches of the first few UK locations, students across the country are now enrolled in the brand’s programmes at coding schools in Hertfordshire, Hampshire and Greater London.
Justin Nihiser, who took over as CEO last month, is proud to witness such rapid growth on British shores and is looking forward to seeing what Nick and Carmen will go on to achieve as they open their location.
“I’ve been at the helm of Code Ninjas for less than six weeks and, in that time, I’ve seen such promise from the new cohort of franchisees that have joined our international network. Nick and Carmen have such complementary skillsets and obviously feel very passionately about bringing a positive change to their community. They’re prime examples of the calibre of talent we look to bring to the UK network as we drive the continued growth of the brand.”
