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Top Outsourced COO Agencies in the UK 2025
Best Part-time COOs in the United Kingdom
Introduction to Fractional COO Services & Part-Time Operations Directors
In the competitive UK business landscape, companies must balance growth, scalability, and operational efficiency. However, hiring a full-time Chief Operating Officer (COO) is not always feasible, especially for startups, SMEs, and companies in transition. Part-time COO services offer a cost-effective and flexible solution, providing companies with on-demand operational leadership without the overhead of a full-time executive.
A Fractional COO is an experienced executive who works with businesses on a part-time, interim, or project-based basis. These professionals enhance business operations, streamline processes, improve profitability, and manage teams—all crucial for sustained success.
Many UK-based companies turn to outsourced COO agencies to gain top-tier operational guidance. These agencies help businesses scale, increase efficiency, and implement strategic initiatives, ensuring long-term stability and growth.
To assist businesses in finding the right Fractional COO partner, Digital Reference has compiled a list of the top outsourced COO agencies in the UK for 2025.
Methodology: How We Selected the Best Outsourced COO Agencies Based in the UK
This list is the result of extensive research into each firm’s reputation, leadership team, client feedback, and service offerings. We evaluated these agencies based on:
- Experience & Reputation – Number of years in operation, client success stories, and industry impact.
- Key Leadership & COO Professionals – The expertise, credentials, and industry experience of key executives.
- Client Reviews & Testimonials – Analysis of customer feedback, online ratings, and case studies.
- Service Offerings – The breadth of services, including strategy consulting, business transformation, process optimization, and team leadership.
- Industry Specialization – Whether the firm specializes in startups, SMEs, SaaS, finance, manufacturing, or eCommerce.
Best Outsourced COO Agencies in the UK
The Second C
About The Second C:
The Second C is a leading provider of outsourced COO and operational consulting services in the UK. Their team specializes in transforming business operations, improving efficiency, and developing long-term growth strategies for startups and enterprises alike.
Key Services:
- Business transformation and operational strategy
- Process automation and workflow optimization
- Interim and fractional COO leadership
- Scaling strategies for growing businesses
Why Choose The Second C?
The Second C stands out for its data-driven approach to operational improvement, helping businesses implement scalable and sustainable systems. Their experienced fractional COOs work closely with leadership teams to identify inefficiencies, drive performance, and enhance profitability.
Transparency Check:
Before engaging with The Second C, businesses should request case studies and references to assess how their fractional COOs have driven success in previous engagements. In that vein ...
Meet Natasha Ahmed & Lorena Armitage
Co-Founders, The Second C
About:
Natasha Ahmed and Lorena Armitage co-founded The Second C to help high-growth businesses build sustainable operations from the inside out. With nearly four decades of combined leadership experience across roles like COO, CFO, and strategic advisor, they bring unmatched operational fluency to the startup and scale-up ecosystem.
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Lorena draws from a career that has spanned continents and industries—from financial services to heavy metals—where she has led global operational transformations, built core systems from the ground up, and helped businesses expand into new markets. Her ability to architect systems for scale while mentoring the humans behind them makes her a standout force in operations leadership.
Natasha brings a proven track record scaling startups from early stage through Series D and beyond. She excels at bridging the gap between founder vision and operational execution—whether helping teams raise $100M+ in funding, manage M&A, or design inclusive, scalable systems that reflect a company’s values. With a passion for equity and inclusion, she’s a trusted guide for purpose-driven leadership.
Why they stand out as Fractional COOs & Strategic Operators:
- Deep, hands-on experience scaling operations in fast-growth businesses around the world
- Culturally fluent leadership with a strong commitment to EDI and inclusive systems design
- Proven ability to architect both structure and scale—from fundraising and M&A to HR, marketing, finance, and beyond
The Ops Guys
The Ops Guys embed senior fractional COO leadership into creative and service businesses, designing practical operational systems that support delivery, finance, and growth.
Why You Should Choose Them:
- Extensive experience with agencies, studios, and creative brands
- Hands-on support across project management, resource planning, and financial forecasting
- Best for firms balancing creativity with profitability and execution
At Digital Reference, we believe knowing the people behind the service is essential.
Meet Steve Squires.
Founder of The Ops Guys.
Steve has over 25 years of experience in operations across agencies, exhibitions, and marketing divisions. He built a track record of steering creative businesses through growth and transformation by creating clarity around roles, budgets, and delivery workflows. With global experience spanning the UK, Dubai, Ghana, and South Korea, Steve brings calm authority and a reputation for bringing order to dynamic environments.
PayAsYouGo COO
PayAsYouGo COO delivers on-demand fractional COO services tailored to UK businesses needing flexible, experienced leadership without full-time overhead.
Why You Should Choose Them:
- Scalable, fractional COO support available by the hour or project
- Ideal for small and medium-sized businesses needing executive guidance without long‑term commitments
- Expert in crafting operational systems that evolve with your business
At Digital Reference, we know it's important to understand the leadership behind the agencies you're considering.
Meet Milly Barker.
Founder of PayAsYouGo COO.
Milly brings years of senior operational and change management experience across sectors such as education, retail, and professional services. Her signature “pay as you go” model began in response to business leaders needing instant, flexible operational insight—without the hassle of full-time executive hires. Whether stabilizing under pressure or designing scalable systems, Milly provides hands-on COO support exactly when it's needed.
Scale‑Upp UK
Scale‑Upp UK delivers executive COO support designed to scale businesses through operations, systems, and leadership enablement.
Why You Should Choose Them:
- Strong focus on scaling operational systems with growth in mind
- Tailored fractional COO support to align teams and processes
- Best for businesses preparing for or navigating scaling phases
At Digital Reference, we value understanding the leaders who lead these efforts.
Meet Peter Peart.
Founder of Scale‑Upp UK.
With decades of leadership experience—including executive roles and startup scale‑ups—Peter understands the operational challenges associated with rapid growth. He’s built platforms for scalable operations, cross-team collaboration, and governance. Peter founded Scale‑Upp UK to bring this structured, growth‑oriented operational leadership to companies ready for the next level.
Angel Advisors
About:
Angel Advisors is a London-based boutique advisory firm that provides embedded COO-level operational strategy for early-stage and growth-focused companies. With deep experience across venture-backed startups, fintech, and B2B SaaS, they specialize in building scalable processes, structuring internal operations, and creating investor-ready infrastructure for ambitious businesses. Their approach is hands-on, founder-aligned, and sharply focused on sustainable growth through operational excellence.
Why they stand out as a Fractional COO agency:
- Founder-first orientation: They act as an extension of the leadership team, helping founders evolve from “doing everything” to building repeatable, resilient operations.
- Cross-functional leadership: With capabilities spanning finance, HR, compliance, and strategic planning, they offer a true COO lens across the business.
- Track record in high-growth environments: Trusted by fast-scaling tech firms and startups to prepare their operations for the next funding round—or the next level of maturity.
Founded by Avneet Singh Riat. Learn more about Avneet here.
Arpit Kaushik – Fractional COO
Arpit Kaushik provides fractional COO leadership that balances strategy and systems—enabling high-growth operations across e-commerce, tech, and professional services.
Why You Should Choose Them:
- Strategic operations design rooted in data and process rigor
- Ideal for businesses looking to scale or optimize existing systems
- Offers a highly adaptable, customized approach to COO engagements
At Digital Reference, we highlight founders who combine operational chops with vision.
Meet Arpit Kaushik.
Fractional COO and founder of Arpit Kaushik – COO services.
Arpit brings deep expertise in operational model design, process engineering, and cross-functional leadership. His background spans startups and scale-ups, where he’s built frameworks for revenue reporting, product delivery, and performance management. Arpit's hands‑on support ensures businesses can execute reliably while still innovating.
Fractional Executives UK
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This agency provides senior operational leadership on demand, working with scaling companies in tech, finance, and healthcare.
- Offers plug-and-play executive talent for companies that need immediate operational support—without the long hiring cycle.
- Especially strong in regulated and high-growth environments, including fintech and medtech.
- Perfect for teams looking to stabilize operations during a funding round, product launch, or post-merger integration.
Boardroom Advisors
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Boardroom Advisors provides interim and fractional COO services, helping SMEs and startups navigate operational challenges, increase efficiency, and implement strategic changes.
Leadership Services Limited
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Leadership Services Limited is a leading outsourced executive service provider in the UK, offering COO and operational leadership solutions to businesses across various industries.
The Growth Chain
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The Growth Chain specializes in business transformation and operational efficiency, providing interim COOs to companies in transition.
Osmo Partners
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Osmo Partners focuses on operational restructuring, performance improvement, and cost optimization. Their Fractional COOs are highly experienced in managing growth, risk, and efficiency.
Why You Should Choose Them:
- Great fit for businesses undergoing rapid change
- Emphasis on risk mitigation and cost controls
- Proven operators who know how to restructure at speed
Simon Wakeman
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Simon comes highly recommended as a part-time operations director. His client say this “Simon is a serious company builder. He knows how to take a founder’s vision for their business and make it real step by step. He’s got a collaborative and thoughtful approach to leading teams and getting things done. If you want a trusted partner in scaling your business, work with Simon.”
Ser Team
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Ser Team focuses mostly on medium-sized businesses. For medium-sized enterprises looking to enhance operational efficiency and drive growth, Ser Team's Fractional COO services provide a strategic, flexible, and cost-effective solution.
Lagom Consulting
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Lagom Consulting is a more general marketing and management consulting but highlight fractional COO services as one of their offerings.
Choosing the Right Fractional COO Service for Your Business
With many high-quality options available, selecting the right Fractional COO agency depends on your company’s industry, needs, and budget. Here’s a quick guide:
- For fast-growing startups: The COO Centre, Your Fractional COO, Next Level COO
- For SMEs & mid-sized companies: Boardroom Advisors, Freeman Clarke, COO Advisory UK
- For digital transformation & automation: The Change Partners, Virtual COO UK
- For finance & investment firms: Insight Partners UK, Fractional Executives UK
By choosing the right outsourced COO agency, businesses can gain operational expertise, scale effectively, and enhance performance—without the cost of a full-time hire.
More From Digital Reference?
Guides like this are part of our broader mission: to make the talent ecosystem more transparent, more human, and more efficient. A few more guides worth looking into:
- Best Platforms to Hire Fractional COOs
- Full Directory of Local Fractional COO Listings
- Best Communities for Operations Professionals
We believe the future of work doesn’t live in resumes—it lives in reputation, results, and relationships.
Explore our talent insights or reach out (hello@digitalreference.co) for a curated recommendation.
Check Out Our Global and National Directories of Fractional COO Services
Australia - Fractional & Virtual COO Services
Australia’s business ecosystem is booming with SaaS, logistics, and ecommerce companies in need of agile ops leadership. This list features top firms helping Aussie founders scale with precision.
Canada - Fractional & Virtual COO Services
From Toronto to Vancouver, Canadian companies are tapping outsourced COOs to manage growth while staying lean and compliant. These firms stand out for operational excellence across sectors.
India - Fractional & Virtual COO Services
India’s startup and enterprise growth stories are fueled by execution. Our picks here lead the way in fractional leadership, process optimization, and ops-as-a-service solutions.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) - Fractional & Virtual COO Services
As Dubai and Abu Dhabi continue attracting global business, these COO firms are helping organizations operationalize scale in high-growth, high-regulation markets.
United States (USA) - Fractional & Virtual COO Services
The U.S. market demands operational leadership that can flex—fast. These top agencies and fractional executives bring scalable systems, cross-functional savvy, and startup-to-scaleup experience.
Start your journey today by reaching out to one of these top-tier COO agencies and take your business operations to the next level !
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