Decision-maker contacts: what a UK B2B contact list can and cannot give you

What a business-level contact list contains

Counts as at 4 November 2026. All 15 columns: sample contact list.

The reason is the sources. Open map data and the contact pages of company websites describe businesses, not their staff, and they say nothing reliable about who decides what. People also change roles far more often than businesses change their phone number, so a named list ages quickly. We would rather deliver a business-level list that is right than a named list that is guessed.

Where decision-maker names are public

• Companies House officers: the Companies House service lists the officers of every company, such as directors, secretaries and LLP members, with name, role, appointment date and a correspondence address. It is free and covers limited companies and LLPs, not sole traders. What else the register contains: Companies House data: what it shows.
• The business’s own website: “about us” and “team” pages often name the owner, the partners or the managers, sometimes with a named email address.
• Professional registers: for regulated professions, such as solicitors, public registers confirm who works where; they are search tools, not mailing sources.

Whichever you use, a name you collect is personal data. If you add it to your CRM, you need a lawful basis under the UK GDPR, you must tell the person where you got their details, and you must stop when they object.

How to reach the person who decides

1. Call the business number with a precise question. “Who is responsible for your fleet insurance?” gets you further than asking for “the decision maker”. Screen the numbers against TPS and Corporate TPS first.
2. Write to the role. A letter addressed to “The Managing Director” or “The Practice Manager” at the trading address reaches the right desk, and post is outside PECR.
3. Email the published address with the role in the subject line. For limited companies and LLPs no prior consent is needed; sole traders and most partnerships need consent. Which addresses the lists contain: business email list UK.
4. Look the company up before the call. The website and the Companies House officer list together usually tell you who runs the business.

In small businesses the problem rarely exists: the ONS counts 534 445 sole proprietors and partnerships among the 2 786 985 registered UK businesses (March 2026), where the owner or a partner takes the call. The rules for each channel are in PECR for B2B cold email and calls.

Frequently asked questions

Do your contact lists include decision makers’ names?

No. Our lists are business-level: the business phone number, the published email address, the website and the address. There are no names of directors or managers, no job titles and no direct dials. Named email addresses appear only where a business publishes them on its own website.

Where can I find the directors of a UK company?

On the Companies House service: for every company it shows the officers with name, role, appointment date and a correspondence address, and it is free to search. The same data are available through the Companies House API. They are not part of the free bulk snapshot and not part of our export.

May I email a director at the company address?

Under PECR, an email to a named person at a limited company or LLP goes to a corporate subscriber, so it needs no prior consent if you identify yourself and offer an opt-out. The address is still personal data: the UK GDPR requires a lawful basis, the Art. 14 information at the latest in your first message, and an immediate stop when the person objects.

Do you have job titles, mobile numbers or social media profiles?

No. We do not collect job titles or social media profiles, and the list has no private numbers: a phone number in the list is the number the business publishes for itself, which for a sole trader can be a mobile.

How do I find the right person in a small business?

In most cases you already have them: in a sole proprietorship the owner decides, and partners decide in a partnership. The ONS counts 534 445 sole proprietors and partnerships, 19.2 per cent of registered UK businesses (March 2026). Call the business number or write to the business address and you reach the person who decides.