Professional and Business Services (PBS) is often the hidden engine behind the UK economy. While Green Energy or Life Sciences steal the headlines, PBS is the connective tissue that keeps industries moving – from consultancy and legal to EdTech and e-commerce.
In June 2025, its role was officially recognised when the UK government placed it among the eight priority growth sectors in the new Industrial Strategy (the IS8). Working with The Productivity Institute, government, and industry, we’ve mapped the IS8 using real-time company-level data including Professional and business services. Aligned with the government’s official sector definitions, our Real-Time Industrial Classifications (RTICs) and Real-Time SIC Codes (RSICs) provide a clear, up-to-date view of these sectors.
We have tried to provide the clearest picture of PBS, capturing both the disruptive innovators and the traditional services underpinning the economy. It’s clarity at scale, and it shows why PBS is a sector no policymaker, investor, or business leader can afford to ignore.
Industrial Strategy Classification (ISC) summary
A high-level view of the sector shows just how critical PBS is to the UK economy. Employing 8 million people, PBS underpins growth across industries while generating a relatively high level of Gross Value Added and significant GVA per employee £71K, making it one of the UK’s most productive sectors. Backed by £46.83 billion in investment, the market clearly sees its strength and growth potential.
The UK has an economy that is full of innovators, and our Industry Engine can help you to highlight the companies making the biggest impact across sectors. These are the high-growth firms shaping the future of professional and business services, tech, and beyond.
To showcase the power of The Data City’s Industry Engine here are three stand out companies that we think you should be keeping an eye on in the IS8 sector. These companies are, UK companies, woman led companies (more than half the company’s officers are female) and fast-growing companies (growth rate above 20%).
The UK has just under 5,000 women led, fast-growing, UK, companies that are actively working in the PBS sector. These companies are generating a combined turnover £31.53 billion. The following list are some of the standouts.
Phoenix Group Management Services Limited
As the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement firm it is naturally one to watch, the company specialises in life insurance, pensions, annuities, and retirement income solution.
The Industry Engine show that the company is a large OECD-recognised scaleup with an impressive 30.2% estimated annual growth rate. It hasn’t received grants, recent funding, or spun out of a university. Still, it shows strong organic expansion as, employment is projected to grow from ~2,000 in 2023 to over 6,000 by 2027, while turnover is expected to rise from around £1 billion in 2023 to about £2.5–3 billion by 2026–27.
Brunswick Group Partnership Limited
Brunswick Group Partnership Limited is a UK-based public relations and communications consultancy, that helps clients manage their reputation and navigate the interconnected financial, political, and social landscape to build trusted stakeholder relationships.
The company is a large OECD scaleup with an estimated annual growth rate of +88.6%. Employment is projected to rise to around 3,500 people by 2025–26, while turnover is expected to surpass £1 billion in the same period (all data provided is from the Industry Engine). Despite no recent external funding or grants, Brunswick is scaling rapidly and is firmly positioned within the UK’s Professional Business Services (PBS / IS8) sector.
Sedex Holdings Ltd
Sedex is a UK-based technology and services company that provides businesses with data-driven platforms and professional services to manage supply chain sustainability, focusing on ESG performance, compliance, and ethical trade.
It is a medium-sized OECD-recognised scaleup with an estimated annual growth rate of 20.3%, and notably, 8 of its 14 board directors are women. Sedex continues to scale steadily by supporting thousands of global companies in improving transparency and responsibility across their supply chains. Positioned within the UK’s Professional and Business Services (PBS / IS8) sector, the company is improving its role as a trusted partner in responsible business growth.
Professional and Business Services is more than just a label in the Industrial Strategy
It is a live, evolving ecosystem that connects every part of the economy. By combining the disruptive power of digital-first firms with the reliability of long-established services, it drives growth, resilience, and innovation.
With The Data City’s Industry Engine, these shifts can finally be seen as they happen – making sense of the noise and bringing clarity to one of the UK’s most dynamic sectors.
For government, investors, and businesses, that clarity is the difference between guessing where growth will come from and knowing it.
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Please note: The data from The Data City is accurate at the time the article was written but may change over time due to the dynamic, real‑time nature of our data. For the latest insights, visit our platform.
