FT Future 100 UK: the full list

These British companies are making an impact, either on society or their industry

In this inaugural list, the FT — in partnership with data provider Statista and supported by law firm Mishcon de Reya — has sought to find fast growing UK companies that are also making an impact on their industry, or wider society.

This built on data from the FT 1000: Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies, a regional ranking of those businesses growing most quickly in revenue terms.

To make it into this first edition of the FT Future 100 UK, businesses had to excel in one of four categories, three of them qualitative and one based purely on data.

To read case studies and analysis from this year’s FT Future 100 UK, click here.

The qualitative categories identified companies seeking to make a positive impact via their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies, or promoting diversity, or disrupting their industry.

They were selected by an expert panel led by FT journalists (see methodology below list).

Judges valued companies that went beyond corporate speak and industry minimum standards and demonstrated a thought-through approach to boosting diversity in management, for example.

When it came to the disruption category, judges took into account measures such as research and development spending as a proportion of revenue, and the company’s own pitch as a disrupter.

The fourth category recognises those companies that made it into the Europe-wide FT 1000 ranking two years in a row, thus demonstrating consistent revenue growth. Some of these are familiar names from the disruptive end of the technology sector, but others have a more traditional business model.

If a company was lauded in a qualitative category but also met the defined criterion of “consistent growth”, it received a “CG” in the extra column.

If the company impressed across all the qualitative categories, like AnalogFolk, it won the accolade of “AR” for all-rounder.

CompanySectorImpactAll-Rounder/
Consistent Growth
Revenue CAGR
2013-2016
Revenue
2016 (’000 £)
Employees
2017
Employee
Growth 2013-16
Proportion of
Women
Founded
AdzunaEcommerceDisruption44.9%6,293432733%2010
AlphaSightsSupport ServicesConsistent Growth52.4%66,524343**210n/a2008
AnalogFolkAdvertisingDiversityAR57%24,512216n/a48%2008
Aspens ServicesFood & BeverageConsistent Growth46.3%25,9161,89456992%2008
Azzure ITTechnologyConsistent Growth59%4,06047**23n/a2011
Black Swan DataTechnologyConsistent Growth148.3%14,551215**207n/a2011
BookingBugTechnologyConsistent Growth87.1%4,53763**54n/a2008
Castlefield PartnersFinancial ServicesDiversity34.8%3,740571251%2002
Catapult Enterprises (Propercorn)Food & BeverageDiversityARCG81.3%10,059372757%2011
CDL GroupTechnologyESG16%47,22867213724%1977
Clifton Packaging GroupFood & BeverageDiversity16.9%19,099105527%2002
CMSPIManagement ConsultingESG33.9%4,84339n/a38%2011
Communicate plcTechnologyConsistent Growth48.3%1,98318**13n/a2011
Coppola FoodsFood & BeverageDiversity158.7%1,6352050%2012
Croud IncSales & MarketingESG58.8%7,7141185647%2011
Diamond LogisticsTransportESG52.7%7,88025152%1992
DotmaticsTechnologyDisruption32.3%12,820922237%2005
EburyFinancial ServicesDiversityARCG78.8%36,46158125625%2009
EcometricaTechnologyConsistent Growth48.3%2,62426**3n/a2008
EfficioManagement ConsultingConsistent Growth35.9%44,023289**152n/a2000
EndavaTechnologyConsistent Growth35.6%159,3683,471**2,056n/a2006
EnnismoreTravel & LeisureConsistent Growth99.1%14,64973**63n/a2012
Falcon Green PersonnelSupport ServicesESGCG55%22,860281146%2012
Fevertree DrinksFood & BeverageConsistent Growth63.7%102,23748**31n/a2005
FonixFintechDisruptionCG106.8%41,47723552%2006
Forresters (Sales)Food & BeverageESG23.8%51,8571509933%1970
Frank Recruitment GroupSupport ServicesConsistent Growth47.5%126,4921,11250049%2006
Global GraphicsTechnologyDisruption26.7%13,0951164022%1996
Global Support Services (GSS)Support ServicesDiversityCG59%3,500659618%2010
Goodfellow & GoodfellowFood & BeverageConsistent Growth43.3%5,264291252%2011
GPF LewisConstructionConsistent Growth37.2%21,35952531%2006
Grabyo*TechnologyDisruption148.5%1,42035229%2013
Gravitas Recruitment GroupSupport ServicesESG29.5%23,593928135%2009
GreenTech DistributionTelecomsConsistent Growth105%160,16828**13n/a2010
Hadrian TechnologyCyber SecurityConsistent Growth63.3%5,03511**8n/a1999
Harley TherapyHealthDiversityAR30.1%1,25953n/a77%2006
HousesimplePropertyConsistent Growth46.6%2,187873941%2007
In Touch NetworksEcommerceDiversityAR140.8%3,281949032%2006
INDETechnologyDisruption132%1,24925n/a36%2009
Inside Ideas GroupAdvertisingDisruption66%68,6001,27535351%2003
iStorageTechnologyDiversity28.9%6,50426831%2009
Joe & Seph'sFood & BeverageConsistent Growth50.9%3,420653085%2010
Just EatTechnologyConsistent Growth57.2%375,7002,373**1,487n/a2009
Lily's KitchenFood & BeverageESG48.2%19,84567n/a78%2007
Lineup SystemsTechnologyConsistent Growth47%7,30086**48n/a2009
Lioncourt HomesPropertyConsistent Growth69.2%56,217784741%2006
Lottoland*Games industryDisruptionCG111.2%204,88430519841%2012
LoveCraftsEcommerceConsistent Growth120.8%17,902121**103n/a2010
LW SolutionsIndustrial GoodsDisruption104%1,553261115%2011
Manolete PartnersFinancial ServicesDisruption50%4,8437529%2011
Mansion House ConsultingManagement ConsultingDiversity24%35,543746130%2009
McGinley Human ResourcesSupport ServicesDiversity68.6%114,537954560%2010
Midstream Energy*Industrial GoodsESG56%1,475610%2009
MOO PrintMediaConsistent Growth37.5%75,051392**223n/a2004
Ndemic CreationsGames industryESG30.5%6,2818550%2012
NectereSupport ServicesDiversity39.4%29,921622061%2010
Neon DiagnosticsHealthConsistent Growth92.9%3,91512**7n/a2011
NewVoiceMediaTechnologyESG50.2%32,20439419126%2000
Northvale ConstructionConstructionConsistent Growth65.4%13,275171512%2008
O'Donovan (Waste Disposal)Waste management & recyclingESG23.6%19,0201607011%1959
Obelisk Legal Support SolutionsLawDiversity90.9%1,58996100%2010
Olivia von HalleFashionDiversity62.4%2,25713n/a77%2010
Omar Park HomesConstructionConsistent Growth35%39,37541920714%1965
OptalFinancial ServicesConsistent Growth187.5%128,70627**19n/a2005
Oxford Summer CoursesEducationESG62.1%2,16421352%2012
OzarooEcommerceConsistent Growth88.9%8,9248**4n/a2010
PaymentsenseFintechConsistent Growth67.2%61,896203**69n/a2008
Phelan ConstructionConstructionESG32.6%44,1601306414%1987
PortafinaFinancial ServicesDiversity29.9%6,2451647164%2009
Prepaid Financial ServicesFinancial ServicesESGCG59%41,843162-543%2007
Principle HoldingsManagement ConsultingESG35.6%149,54057316836%1987
PrivateFlyTravel & LeisureConsistent Growth48.4%22,25931**13n/a2008
Quanta Consultancy ServicesSupport ServicesESG17.7%48,159621350%1992
Quill ContentSales & MarketingDisruption76.2%2,753391559%2011
RatesetterFintechESGCG68%23,70126518636%2009
Readie ConstructionConstructionConsistent Growth46.2%104,92390**67n/a2007
Red Badger ConsultingManagement ConsultingESG102.6%7,015846732%2010
RedingtonFinancial ServicesESG25.3%14,9651283531%2008
Regulatory Finance SolutionsManagement ConsultingESGCG55%44,810753448%2005
Republic of MediaAdvertisingESG30.5%59,566271241%2012
Rivers Finance GroupFinancial ServicesConsistent Growth71.2%1,99011545%2002
Roc TechnologiesSupport ServicesConsistent Growth73%24,53554**26n/a2011
Scott Brownrigg GroupArchitectureESG31.5%27,086249145n/a1993
Send For HelpSupport ServicesDisruption52.5%7,900893149%2010
Shaylor GroupConstructionESG32.4%100,841248n/a21%2002
Shopper Media GroupAdvertisingDiversity30.3%16,087994167%2008
Small World Financial Services GroupFintechDisruption13.9%79,956709n/a58%2005
SmarketsFintechDiversityCG280.1%25,4171046218%2008
SpektrixTechnologyDiversity48%5,152853848%2007
StratajetTravel & LeisureDisruption234.2%4,050165444%2011
SuperAwesomeTechnologyDisruptionCG168.9%6,6001107836%1999
The Media ImageAdvertisingDisruption56.8%18,402331627%2009
The Office GroupPropertyESG67.8%69,92425413174%2003
the7stars UKAdvertisingESG34.6%245,4891797148%2005
TouchNoteEcommerceConsistent Growth75.9%5,07216**9n/a2007
Trak Global GroupTechnologyESG95.9%19,68819419139%2009
VictorTravel & LeisureESGCG102.1%29,952974734%2010
Wealth DynamixFintechDisruption155.3%6,172712818%2012
Workplace Futures GroupConstructionESG42.8%54,8731402546%2007
World of BooksEcommerceESG17.1%37,863473n/an/a2007
* Companies marked with an asterisk had less than 12 months of revenue in the 2013 financial year, but it still passed the FT 1000 minimum equivalent of €100,000 revenue.
** Employee numbers marked with an asterisk are for 2016, and absolute employee growth is 2013-16.
CAGR — compound annual growth rate.

Methodology

For the three qualitative categories (ESG, diversity, disruption), companies were selected on the basis of information they submitted to the FT Future 100 UK survey.

The judging panel — a mixture of corporate and research experts — gave a preliminary score to the candidates based on evaluation of the data and written submissions provided as part of the survey.

This was a 1 to 5 score, given first by the lead judges on that particular category. Based on the average pre-score, discussion of the entrants then took place at a judging meeting, led by FT journalists.

For the overall list, the judges decided to pick those companies making an impact on diversity first. All respondents given a final diversity score above a set average were absorbed into that category.

From the remaining companies, all entries with an ESG score above an agreed rating were placed into that category.

In the final disruption set, judges selected companies from the remaining pool that achieved above a set score for industry disruption. Where a company cleared the hurdle in all three categories, they were marked as an all-rounder.

All those companies listed above as “consistent growers” made the FT Future 100 UK purely on the basis of their revenue growth: meaning they ranked among the top 1,000 European companies in both the 2017 and 2018 FT rankings.

This means they either did not provide extra information to this survey, or did not sufficiently impress judges in any of the qualitative categories.

Entrants that did not qualify for “consistent growth” and did not stand out in any qualitative category did not make the list.

The judging panel

Kathryn Britten
AlixPartners

Emilie Colker
Ideo

Bruce Duguid
Hermes Investment Management

Luciana Lixandru
Accel Partners

Andrew Rimmington
Mishcon de Reya

Diandra Soobiah
Nest Corporation

Thomas Clark
Statista

Felix Kapel
Statista

Leyla Boulton
Special Reports Editor, FT

Elaine Moore
Lex Deputy Editor, FT

Ian Smith
Special Reports Commissioning Editor, FT, and judging chair