Made in the UK Mondays: Intralink Ltd

How this consultancy is helping UK businesses connect with markets around the world.

Some businesses start with an idea, others with a plan. For Intralink it all started with a £1000 bet.

The wager: to find 10 new products in Japan that could be sold in the UK.

And Intralink Founder James Lawson was eager to rise to the challenge: it was the early 90s and he had suddenly found himself out of work and ready to start something new.

James won the bet and Intralink was born out of his small home office in Northamptonshire.

The company has since grown into an international business development consultancy of more than 120 staff, with 15 offices across three continents, helping companies to expand overseas, corporates to innovate through global collaboration, and governments to grow their exports and attract foreign investment.

Over its 33-year history, it has worked for more than 1,500 companies across a range of industries, helping them to acquire international customers and partners in deals worth around £600 million and, in so doing, to create value for their owners and investors.

In recent years, Intralink’s own growth has been driven by exports of its services: between 2019 and 2023, its exports grew by 149% to generate around £11 million of annual revenue.

This achievement was recognised earlier this year, when the company was announced as the winner of the ‘Consultancy & Professional Services’ category in our Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards 2024, which celebrates the exporting success of businesses across the UK.

We spoke to CEO Greg Sutch to find out more about Intralink’s pillars for international success:

1. How has selling overseas helped your business to grow?

Exporting is critical to our growth. In fact, most of our company’s growth over the last five years has been driven by exports – they now represent 77% of group revenues.

By focusing on exports, we’ve been able to strengthen our business considerably. We’ve been able to target large, high-growth markets - avoiding the dangers of market saturation and spreading our risk by reducing our exposure to any single market.

2. What’s your top international market and why?

The USA is our largest export market because the size of the venture-backed tech market there, and the sheer number of startups and scaleups that need help to go global.

Our focus is on supporting companies around the Silicon Valley and Boston areas, but additional clusters are emerging. We also help US economic development organisations to attract foreign investors and expand overseas trade. 

Another export market where we have experienced strong demand for our services is Japan.

Companies there are eager to raise their productivity to continue to grow with smaller workforces, so they lean on our expertise.

With our international knowledge and connections, the Japanese businesses we work with can source the best ideas and technologies from around the world – and apply digital transformation and automation to their operations.

 They’re also determined to decarbonise their operations and to develop the best, next-generation products to stay competitive on a global stage.

We play a vital role in helping Japanese corporations to achieve these aims by advising them on international innovations and facilitating partnerships between them, British and other western companies. 

3. What overseas opportunities are you tapping into through your export services?

Not only do we sell our own services to organisations overseas, our core focus is to help our clients succeed in international markets – by acquiring new customers and partners, growing their revenues and creating value in their businesses.

Companies appoint us because of our on-the-ground presence in key overseas markets, our teams’ extensive connections with multi-nationals in places like Asia, and our unrivalled market knowledge.

Sustainability is one area on which we have a close eye as companies seek to reduce their environmental impact. The automotive sector also holds significant potential for growth as we move towards an electrified and increasingly autonomous future. And healthcare is a key field for us, as we’re seeing an increasing number of countries grappling with the complex medical needs of ageing populations.

Equally, there are many challenges facing international companies which we can help them to solve. We provide expertise in understanding overseas markets, from helping businesses localise their services to overcoming language, cultural and regulatory barriers.

4. What support have you received from working with the Department for Business and Trade?

We are constantly exploring the opportunities to support our clients in new markets, and so are seeking to establish an Intralink presence in other parts of Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. 

When we set up in a new market, our first port of call is always the Department of Business & Trade, who provide excellent advice on whom we should be talking to and what we should be thinking about. Over the years, their guidance and support have proven invaluable.

Just as the Department for Business & Trade has supported us, we have helped their teams to deliver a range of initiatives, from running international trade missions to producing market reports for potential British exporters.

We also run the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme for the Department, delivering hands-on support for British tech start-ups seeking to gain a foothold in one or more of 11 Asia Pacific markets.

5. What are your future growth plans?

Service exports have been at the heart of our success and will remain a driving force when it comes to our future growth strategy.

We’re ambitious in our expansion plans and looking to double our revenue over the next five years. This would mean exports growing to around £22m by 2028.

To achieve our expansion goals, we will also target new markets in Southeast Asia, including India, in addition to the US, Europe and the Middle East.

As ever, expansion to new markets will be key to our success.

Every Monday we’re profiling one of our 2024 Made in the UK, Sold to the World Award Winners.

To access free business support along your international journey, visit great.gov.uk.