Champions

What Champions does

Champions (UK) plc is a privately held, multidisciplinary business consultancy headquartered in East Midlands (Loughborough), United Kingdom, founded in 2003. The firm operates four integrated service pillars: Sales Growth Services (audit, infrastructure, consultancy, and multichannel activation spanning digital, creative, PR, advertising, web, events, and celebrity), People & HR Services (workplace culture, leadership, training, organizational design, change management), AI & Technology Services (SaaS implementation, bespoke systems, integrations, workflow automation, cyber security, data reporting), and M&A | Investment Services (corporate finance, deal preparation, buy-and-build strategy, and direct investment via the Champions Invest arm). The company is sales-led, generates revenue through bespoke professional-services engagements on multi-year contracts, and serves primarily fast-growth medium-to-large tier businesses globally across 68+ countries.

The firm's technology capabilities are delivered as consulting services rather than standalone products, encompassing SaaS implementations (CRM, data management, e-commerce, finance technology, HR, payment gateways), bespoke system builds, AI integration, workflow automation, cyber security, and data reporting. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, with all services quoted on a custom basis. Customer logos include Lloyds Banking Group, Coca-Cola, Hogan Lovells, Mattioli Woods, Smarter Technologies, and Delta Global, with 4,000+ global engagements reported annually. A network of 1,000+ global thought leaders supplements the 100+ in-house specialists to extend delivery reach.

Champions (UK) plc remains founder/management-owned under the leadership of CEO John Hayes and Managing Director Matthew Hayes, with the Hayes family holding multiple director-level positions. The company has grown organically from a £3,000 Prince's Trust loan into an award-winning, bootstrapped consultancy without disclosed external institutional capital, subsidiaries, or M&A activity. It holds Google Partner status and is privately held as a UK private limited company (Registered No. 4247448).

Name

Champions

Legal name

Champions (UK) plc

Website

https://championsukplc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Champions (UK) plc is a private UK multidisciplinary business consultancy founded in 2003 delivering sales growth, people and HR, AI and technology integration, and M&A advisory services to fast-growth medium-to-large businesses globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Consultancy

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD), Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE), Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG), Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB), Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Business growth consultancy
• Sales growth services
• Marketing and PR agency
• M&A advisory
• Leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Loughborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sales Growth Consultancy: Champions provides sales growth services including sales auditing, growth strategy, brand implementation, and multichannel activation. Revenue is generated through professional consulting engagements and project-based work delivered by a team of 100+ specialists.
2. People & HR Services: Services covering workplace culture, training and development, leadership programmes, organisational structure, change management, psychometric testing, and staff evaluation. Delivered as part of holistic business transformation engagements.
3. AI & Technology Services: Covers SaaS solutions implementation (CRM, data management, e-commerce, finance technology, HR, payment gateways), bespoke systems, integrations, AI integration, workflow automation, cyber security, and data reporting.
4. M&A Advisory & Investment Services: Services include corporate finance advisory, deal preparation, buy & build strategy, acquisition targeting, commercial due diligence, exit planning, and investment road map. The company also operates Champions Invest, its own investment arm with a portfolio of direct investments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Champions (UK) plc is a full-service business growth consultancy that delivers sales growth, brand and marketing activation, people and HR transformation, AI and technology integration, and M&A advisory services to mid-to-large businesses globally. The firm applies a proprietary four-step methodology (Audit, Strategy, Implementation, Activation) and operates through a multidisciplinary team of 100+ specialists, supplemented by a network of 1,000+ global thought leaders, to drive measurable revenue, margin, and capital value outcomes for clients.

Product overview

Champions (UK) plc is a business consultancy operating as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering comprises five integrated service pillars: Sales Growth Services (encompassing analysis, infrastructure, consultancy, and channels), People & HR Services, AI & Technology Services, M&A | Investment Services, and the Business Growth Series educational programme. Sales Growth Analysis provides auditing and diagnostic capabilities, Sales Growth Infrastructure delivers brand development, Sales Growth Consultancy offers strategic advisory, and Sales Channels enables multichannel activation through digital, creative, PR, advertising, web, events, and celebrity services. AI & Technology encompasses SaaS solutions, bespoke systems, and automation capabilities. M&A services cover funding, buy & build, and investment advisory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Champions Invest: Champions' investment arm that provides funding services including angel investment, debt financing, venture capital, and private equity, as well as buy & build advisory services.

Quantifiable outcome

• £5bn+ in sales growth driven for clients over 20+ years
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationChampions (UK) plc holds certified Google Partner status, indicating proficiency in Google advertising platforms, Google Workspace integrations, and digital marketing technology. This partnership enables the company to access Google's advertising tools, certify its team, and deliver Google-integrated campaigns for clients.
• Hogan LovellsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHogan Lovells, a global law firm, is listed as a client and supporter of Champions' services. Champions has delivered professional project work for Hogan Lovells (USA), with positive feedback on responsiveness and delivery quality.
• Global Thought Leaders NetworkcoreOthersChampions represents and partners with over 1,000 global thought leaders including authors, keynote speakers, successful business owners, and industry innovators. This network enables the company to extend its service delivery across specialist topics and provides an organic referral channel. Supporting internal experts, Champions leverages this expansive network to deliver personalised solutions to clients.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• KPMG: Big Four firm with consulting, deals advisory, and technology practices. Competes with Champions in M&A advisory, growth consulting, and AI/digital transformation services for enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Havas: Global advertising, communications, and consulting group. Overlaps with Champions' digital, creative, PR, and advertising agency service lines within a broader multinational holding-company structure.
• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting leader covering strategy, operations, and organizational transformation. Comparable as a top-tier strategic advisory competitor, though much larger and more narrowly strategy-focused than Champions' broad multichannel offering.
• Deloitte: Big Four professional services firm offering consulting, audit, tax, and technology integration. Overlaps with Champions across strategy consulting, M&A advisory, technology integration, and HR transformation services for enterprise clients.
• Publicis Groupe: Global marketing, communications, and digital transformation group. Comparable in the integrated digital, creative, PR, and consulting capability stack Champions offers, with overlapping enterprise marketing-services buyer base.
• PwC: Big Four firm with a large consulting practice spanning strategy, technology, HR, and deals advisory. Direct competitor in M&A advisory and corporate finance, with overlapping enterprise client base and similar cross-disciplinary engagement model.
• WPP: World's largest advertising and marketing services holding company. Comparable across Champions' digital, creative, PR, media, and brand activation service lines, though at much greater scale and through owned agency brands.
• Accenture: Global consulting and technology services firm specializing in digital transformation, AI integration, and managed services. Overlaps with Champions' AI & Technology and M&A service lines and similarly targets enterprise digital transformation budgets.
• Bain & Company: Top-tier strategy and management consultancy with deep expertise in growth strategy, M&A, and performance improvement. Direct competitor on growth consulting engagements for mid-to-large tier businesses, the segment Champions explicitly targets.
• EY (Ernst & Young): Big Four professional services firm with a sizeable consulting practice spanning strategy, transactions, technology, and people advisory. Directly overlaps with Champions' M&A advisory, growth consulting, and HR transformation offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/championsukplc
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChampionsUKPlc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/champions-uk-plc
• Instagraminstagram.com/championsgrowth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Champions