Manufacturing and engineering champions top regional table despite decline of industrial sectors nationally.

Yorkshire's fastest-growing companies are proving that manufacturing and industrial innovation can still be powerful drivers of growth, despite industrial businesses becoming less prominent nationally.

The region's highest-ranked companies in the ORESA Executive Search Growth Index 2026 – an annual list of the UK’s fastest-growing 100 companies – are Richmond-based Embrace Steel and Sheffield green hydrogen pioneer ITM.

In the UK as a whole, finance, technology, healthcare and retail dominate. Yorkshire's leading performers therefore stand out for their roots in engineering and manufacturing. Indeed, they are two of only three manufacturing businesses to make the top 100 nationally.

Embrace Steel ranked 26th after achieving two-year compound annual growth in revenues of 134.2%, while ITM placed 33rd with growth of 123.2%.

Orlando Martins, founder of Growth Index, said: "One of the most interesting stories in this year's rankings is that Yorkshire's leading companies are succeeding in sectors that many people assume are in decline. The region continues to demonstrate that manufacturing, engineering and industrial expertise can still generate exceptional growth when combined with innovation and strong execution."

The wider picture

This year's Growth Index highlights the resilience of Britain's scale-up economy. The average company on the list achieved compound annual revenue growth of 136.1% over two years, making this the strongest edition of the ranking to date. Together, the Growth Index 100 generated more than £11 billion in annual revenues, with businesses ranging from data centres to art galleries, and from GB News to Popeye's UK fried chicken shops.

Financial services remained the largest sector, accounting for a quarter of all companies featured, while healthcare continued its steady rise, driven by particularly strong performances from biotechnology businesses. Retail also enjoyed a resurgence after several more difficult years, reflecting growing consumer demand for health, wellbeing and value-focused products. Meanwhile, pure-play AI businesses are beginning to make a visible impact on the rankings, although they have yet to dominate them.

Read the full ORESA Executive Search Growth Index 2026 report and view the complete list of 100 companies here.