Being an intelligence analyst at Companies House

One of the aims of an intelligence analyst at Companies House is to produce assessments that inform our understanding of abuse of the register. This work assists both Companies House and our law enforcement partners. 

What intelligence analysis involves

The role of an intelligence analyst is sometimes misunderstood as being solely about data analysis or reporting. While data analysis is an important element, intelligence analysis has a much wider scope.

Analysts use multiple data sources, including Companies House data. They carry out quantitative analysis and combine this with professional judgement to produce assessments and recommendations that support decision making by senior colleagues or partnering agencies.

Collaboration and communication is essential. Analysts work closely with colleagues across Companies House and with external partners to help make sure that any insights are shared wherever possible within legal and governance boundaries.

At its core, the role is about:

understanding what’s really happening behind the companies register identifying patterns that do not look right helping others decide where to focus their efforts Spotting patterns and assessing risk

Intelligence analysts examine Companies House data to understand how companies are formed, how they change over time and how individuals associated with those companies may appear across multiple corporate entities.

Analytical techniques are used to identify abnormal behaviour and potential red flags. These indicators are risk assessed and prioritised, with close engagement from operational colleagues helping to build a more complete picture of each specific risk.

Working with the team

Supporting colleagues is a central part of the analyst role. We hold regular meetings to:

assign new tasks to team members review progress on ongoing intelligence work provide guidance and share insight based on individual areas of expertise

Analysts have regular discussions with managers to make sure their ongoing work aligns with wider Intelligence Hub objectives.

An Intelligence Hub is a central function that analyses company data and shares insights with Companies House, law enforcement and government partners to identify and tackle economic crime and misuse of the register.

A mix of planning and reacting

Intelligence work cannot always be planned in advance. Some days become more reactive than others, and this is often triggered by emerging intelligence, unexpected issues or unplanned requests.

In these situations, work with more flexible deadlines may need to be reprioritised so that new risks or information can be addressed quickly. Being flexible and responsive is a crucial part of the role.

What makes a good day

A good day for an intelligence analyst is one where strong engagement is demonstrated across the team, the wider Intelligence Hub and colleagues across multiple Companies House departments.

It’s particularly rewarding when analysis leads to a clearer understanding of potential risks or supports wider operational or policy decisions. The team continually develops new processes based on the outcomes of this work and both successes and failures are analysed.

The impact of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act has made a clear difference to how intelligence can be used at Companies House. It’s enabled intelligence to be referred more effectively to colleagues for further investigation, which can lead to enforcement action and demonstrable improvements to the integrity of the register.

This is especially important for our intelligence analysts. Their work feeds into the Intelligence Hub, which can now share information more easily with partner agencies and law enforcement. This is having a real impact on efforts to tackle economic crime, and helps meet a key goal of the registrar: improving the quality and reliability of data on the register so it can be trusted and used effectively.

The act gives intelligence analysts the tools they need to do their jobs. They develop and refine intelligence and research to support operational activity, and the new powers mean that intelligence can now be acted on more effectively.

https://companieshouse.blog.gov.uk/2026/02/25/being-an-intelligence-analyst-at-companies-house/

seen at 11:44, 25 February in Companies House.