Yorkshire agency ranks 67th in the world
Posted by The Editor
Leeds-based digital agency Engage is the only Yorkshire agency named in The Drum's 2026 Indie Agency 100, which recognises leading independent agencies from around the world.
Engage placed 67th in the global ranking which revealed that just three agencies from the north of England made the list, compared with 25 from London.
The UK was the most represented country overall, accounting for 40 entries, ahead of the US with 28 and Canada with nine. However, almost two-thirds of the UK agencies were based in London and Engage was the only representative from Yorkshire and the Humber.
The agency also ranked above every other employee owned UK agency on the list.
Alex Willcocks, founder and managing director said: "Independence has always been an important part of Engage, and becoming employee owned gave us a way to protect that independence for the long term. To now be recognised alongside leading independent agencies from around the world
feels genuinely significant. It’s a brilliant reflection of what our team has built together over the years, and another sign that the vision we have for Engage of becoming the UK’s most successful employee owned agency, is becoming a reality.
“Engage’s success is a direct result of our clients' trust in us and our team's relentless focus on performance and delivering the best results. We have best in class expertise, a fantastic culture and top class people, which are all reflected in the results we produce for new and existing clients.”
The recognition also follows Engage's strongest commercial year to date, with revenue growing by 23% during the 2025/26 financial year.
Founded in Leeds in 2007, Engage specialises in websites, digital marketing and brand activations. It became 100% employee-owned in 2024, was Leeds' first certified B Corp and achieved ISO/IEC 27001 certification in September 2026.
