Headcount: 100 (+85%)
Specialism: Edtech
HQ: Stockport
Average monthly headcount at this Cheshire-based provider of IT support, cybersecurity and connectivity to schools hit an even 100 in calendar 2024, accounts indicate (up from 79, 64 and 54 in the three previous years).
A certified B Corp, Computeam donates 2% of EBIT to charity.
The Microsoft and Google partner is betting on “responsible, auditable” AI adoption in schools to drive growth in 2026, CEO Owen Napier tells us (see below).
Its headcount has since risen to 106.
View the wider Fast-Growth 50 here.
Q&A with Computeam CEO Owen Napier
How have you been able to increase headcount in a flat market?
We have grown headcount by strengthening our core service delivery operation, cybersecurity offering and our bid team, whilst focusing on partnerships with small, growing multi-academy Trusts. We’ve also focused on growing a new capability in training and digital transformation, with a heavy focus on AI and the DfE’s Digital Standards for Education.
Which 2026 mega trend that will most shape the year for your company?
Responsible, auditable AI adoption in schools and MATS, especially Microsoft Copilot with policy‑led governance, will define the year as clients ask for Ofsted/DfE‑aligned, safe implementations that bring some of the promised benefit of this exciting new technology.
Which competitor or peer do you respect most, and why?
We respect Turn it On and the Transforming Learning Group for their focus on bringing together edtech software companies with a unique edge in the market, whilst seeing the paramount importance of a specialist education-MSP to deliver the solution to end users.
What’s a fact or quirk about Computeam most people will not know?
We’re a values‑driven business that donates 2% of EBIT to charity, gives staff time to our client schools, and has ambitious environmental commitments, from EV adoption to using remanufactured devices. This has helped us become one of a small number of certified B Corps in our sector.
Does the rise of AI and automation make it less likely you’ll keep adding headcount at the same rate?
While automation improves efficiency, the business is simultaneously expanding in cybersecurity, consultancy, and training, meaning we still anticipate some headcount growth, just in more specialist roles.
Name one thing we have planned for the next 12 months
Scale up our new Computeam Compass platform nationally, helping schools and MATs to map their progress towards the increasingly important DfE Digital Standards for Education.
