How to find a company’s directors
The directors are the people legally responsible for running a company — and checking who they are (and what else they’ve run) is one of the most revealing due-diligence steps you can take. Here’s how to do it for free.
What’s public about a director
Every UK company must keep its officers list up to date at Companies House. For each director you can see, free:
- Name and role (director, secretary, etc.);
- Appointment date — and resignation date if they’ve left;
- Month and year of birth, nationality and country of residence;
- Occupation and a service (correspondence) address.
Home addresses and full dates of birth are kept private. Directors also now go through identity verification at Companies House, adding a layer of confidence that the named person is real.
Two ways to search
By company
Look the company up by name or number and open its officers section to see who runs it. Watch for a company with no named directors, or one where directors resign and reappear frequently.
By director name — the powerful one
Searching by a person’s name shows every company they are or were an officer of. This is where due diligence gets real: it reveals whether the person behind the business you’re checking has a track record of solid companies — or a trail of dissolved and insolvent ones.
The fastest way
Ask Verivello “Who are the directors of [company]?” or “What other companies is [name] a director of?” and it reads the officers records and answers with sources. Start on the free search, or open a company from the directory to see its directors listed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a company’s directors?
Every UK company must list its directors and officers at Companies House, and it’s free to view. Search for the company by name or number and open its "people" or "officers" section to see current and past directors, their roles and appointment dates. On Verivello you can just ask "Who are the directors of [company]?" and it reads the official record for you.
Can I search Companies House by director name?
Yes. You can search by a person’s name to see every company they are, or were, an officer of. This is one of the most useful due-diligence checks — it reveals whether someone is behind a string of companies, including any that were dissolved or went insolvent.
What information about a director is public?
For each director you can see their name, role (for example director or secretary), appointment date (and resignation date if they have left), month and year of birth, nationality, country of residence, occupation, and their service (correspondence) address. Their full date of birth and home address are not shown publicly.
How do I check if a director is disqualified?
Companies House maintains a public register of disqualified directors — people banned from running or forming a company for a set period, usually after misconduct or insolvency. If someone offering you a deal is a disqualified director, that’s a serious warning sign worth acting on.
Can I see a director’s other companies?
Yes — searching by the director’s name lists all their current and former appointments. Seeing that a director has previously run several failed or dissolved companies (a pattern sometimes linked to "phoenix" companies) is important context before you do business with their latest one.
What’s the difference between a director and a secretary?
A director is legally responsible for running the company and its filings. A company secretary handles administrative and compliance duties; private companies aren’t required to have one, but many do. Both appear in the officers list, with their role labelled.