Deloitte reveals winners of the UK’s Best Managed Companies 2026

Deloitte has announced the winners of its UK Best Managed Companies programme for 2026.

The UK Best Managed Companies programme shines a spotlight on private businesses from across the UK and the vision that drives them. Entrants to the programme undertake a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices.

The programme is an initiative of Deloitte Private, which provides tailored solutions to privately owned businesses and family enterprises.

19 companies are included in total, with ten new winners this year. Nine companies have retained their place on the list.

This is the second year of the UK Best Managed Companies awards, with the programme already established in over 45 geographies across the world. It recognises top private companies for their organisational success and contributions to their industry and the economy.

London, the North East, the North West and the South East all have three winners. There are two each in Scotland, Yorkshire and the Midlands.

A variety of sectors and industries are represented, including technology, engineering, construction, health care, and education.

Claire Evans, the UK Best Managed Companies Leader at Deloitte, said: “This year, the programme has recognised a further ten companies that have demonstrated best-in-class management and entrepreneurial spirit. My congratulations to them, and to all returning winners who have requalified in 2026.

“Private businesses such as those recognised as UK Best Managed Companies this year, continue to play a vital role in our economy, both nationally and locally. They demonstrate clear purpose and values, innovation, resilience and ambition, and help to drive growth and prosperity.”

The full list of successful companies is (those in bold are new winners):

The Best Managed Companies awards programme is an international awards programme that applies a structured evaluation process, to assess the quality of business management in a variety of areas. These include strategy, capabilities and innovation, culture and commitment, as well as governance and finance.

The companies included have their business strategy process and operations reviewed and benchmarked against an evaluation framework applied to a winner community of more than 1,300 best-managed private companies across the world.

ENDS

Notes to editors

About Best Managed Companies

Best Managed Companies is a business awards programme that recognises excellence in privately-owned companies. The awards are a symbol of organisational success and achievement and the entrepreneurial spirit of private companies. The programme provides a distinct framework for management teams to challenge themselves and benchmark against some of the best private companies in the world.

The Best Managed Companies programme was established in 1993 in Canada and has become the most significant business awards of its kind. The programme is currently active in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Visit the Best Managed Companies website for more details.

About Deloitte Private

Deloitte Private is the brand under which professionals in Deloitte provide services to certain privately owned entities and high net worth individuals.

About the judging panel

An independent judging panel comprising business and academia representatives determined the winners based on the leading practices of Best Managed Companies.

This year’s jury members were David Brown, a CFO with over 20 years in financial leadership, including roles at JCB; Professor Hannah Holmes, the Dean of the Business School and Professor of Business Education at Manchester Metropolitan University, Panos Kakoullis, an executive who was most recently the Chief Financial Officer at Rolls-Royce Holdings, and Toby Wright, a former Deloitte partner, who has over 30 years’ professional experience working with private companies.