The field, compared
The Best Peer Groups for UK Scale-Up CEOs, Compared
Seven organisations come up when a UK founder past a few million starts looking. They are built for different people. Here is who each takes, how each room works, and which is likely to fit you.
9 minute read · Written by the Helm Club team
For a UK founder or CEO between roughly £3m and £50m, the realistic options are Helm, Vistage UK, Business Leader and EO, with YPO if you are under 45 and past $16m, Hampton if you are a London tech founder who wants American peers, and TAB if you are smaller or outside the big cities. The differences that matter are group size, who chairs, sector and geography, and whether you can see the price before you call. Helm is six to eight founders chaired by an exited founder, UK-wide, at a published £495 a month.
How to read this
We run one of the seven, so read the Helm column knowing that. Everything else here is structural and checkable: published criteria, group size, meeting rhythm, who facilitates, where the organisation operates and whether it publishes a price. Where an organisation does not publish something, we say so rather than guess. And where another room is a better fit than Helm, we say that too, because a founder who joins the wrong club leaves within a year and tells people.
YPO
The global one. More than 30,000 members across 142 countries, founded in 1950, organised into 14 regions and local chapters. Forums are small confidential groups formed from chapter members and led by the members themselves.
Entry is strict and fully published: under 45, top operational leader with full P&L authority, 50 full-time employees (or 15 with $2.75m of annual payroll), and $16m of revenue, $13m for an agency, or $27m of enterprise value. Dues are not published. Best for the under-45 founder of a large business with international operations. Not for anyone over 45 or below the size tests, whatever the quality of the business.
Vistage UK
The coached one. Since 1957, more than 45,000 members in 35 countries. The UK Chief Executive Programme is a group of 12 to 18 local leaders from non-competing industries, meeting for 12 full days a year, plus 12 one-to-one sessions with a paid professional Chair who is also your coach.
No hard turnover threshold is published, and you need not have founded the business. UK pricing is not published. Best for the leader who wants formal coaching and a large, broad group, including salaried CEOs and divisional heads. Not for the founder who wants a small room of other founders.
Hampton
The tech one. Founded 2023, more than 1,000 members, all tech-first or tech-enabled founders. Core groups of around eight with a paid trained moderator, meeting monthly except August and December for about three hours, plus a very active digital community. Hampton announced in September 2025 that it was focusing on thirteen chapter cities with in-person Core groups. London is the only one in the UK. The other twelve are in North America.
Entry is $3m revenue, $3m raised or an exit above $10m. Dues are not published, billing is annual, and there is a 45-day money-back guarantee. Best for the London digital founder who wants American peers. Not for anyone outside London or outside tech.
Business Leader
The structured one. A UK media business acquired by Richard Harpin in 2023 and repositioned around a peer membership, built on his "9 Steps to a Billion" framework. Groups of ten, nine forum sessions a year plus four one-to-one coaching sessions, with CliftonStrengths and a written growth plan. Ambassadors such as Harpin and other well-known founders provide a content layer rather than running the forums.
Entry is £3m-plus turnover, 15 or more employees, UK-registered, founder or CEO only. Business Leader publishes a price on its website, which is rare in this category. Best for the founder who wants a prescribed methodology and a growth plan to work through. Not for the founder who wants peers rather than a programme.
EO, Entrepreneurs' Organization
The accessible international one. Owners, founders and majority stakeholders only, with the lowest threshold of the global players: $1m of revenue, with a venture-backed route at $2m raised. Forums of six to ten meet monthly, led by trained peer moderators rather than paid professionals, using a strict "share experiences, not advice" method. EO UK London had 82 members as of July 2026, with a median member sales figure of around $2m. EO publishes its dues.
Best for the owner-founder at £1m to £3m who wants a peer forum now and an international network. Not for the salaried CEO, who is ineligible, or the founder at £10m who will find the room skews smaller than their business.
TAB, The Alternative Board
The regional one. No published revenue threshold. Boards of roughly six to eight, a monthly board meeting plus a monthly one-to-one, which is the highest contact frequency in this set. Facilitators are franchisees who own a territory, so quality and availability vary by postcode, and TAB has the best coverage outside the big cities. There is a 90-day money-back guarantee and quotes are bespoke rather than published.
Best for the owner-manager outside London and the metros, particularly below £3m. Not for the founder who wants a room of peers at their own scale, because with no threshold the range is wide.
Helm
The founders' club. Started in 2003 as The Supper Club, more than 400 members across the UK averaging £21m turnover. Forums of six to eight, matched on stage, sector adjacency and the decisions you face, meeting ten times a year, always chaired by a founder who has already exited. Around it, 160+ events a year, dinners, member messaging and curated introductions. Selling to members is prohibited.
Entry is founder or CEO of a UK business with £3m turnover, £3m raised or a previous exit. Price is published: £495 to join, then £495 a month, billed monthly. Best for the UK founder past £3m who wants a small room of other founders and a chair who has done it. Not for anyone who wants formal coaching, international reach, or who is below the bar.
Helm, Business Leader and YPO will not take you yet, and that is the honest answer. EO at $1m and TAB with no published threshold are the rooms built for that stage, and both are good at it. Join one of those now rather than waiting for the numbers to reach a bar, because the decisions you need help with are this year's.
The seven, side by side
| Organisation | Entry bar | Group and rhythm | Who runs the room | Price published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YPO | Under 45, $16m revenue or $27m EV, 50 staff or 15 with $2.75m payroll | Confidential forum, typically monthly | Peer-led | No |
| Vistage UK | No hard published threshold. Founding not required | 12 to 18, 12 full days a year, plus 12 coaching sessions | Paid professional Chair | No |
| Hampton | $3m revenue, $3m raised or exit above $10m. Tech only. London only in UK | Around 8, ten a year, three hours | Paid trained moderator | No |
| Business Leader | £3m turnover, 15+ staff, UK founder or CEO | 10, nine sessions a year, plus four coaching sessions | Facilitated forum on a set framework | Yes |
| EO | $1m revenue, owner or founder only | 6 to 10, monthly | Trained peer moderator | Yes |
| TAB | No published threshold | 6 to 8, monthly, plus monthly one-to-one | Franchisee facilitator | No, bespoke quotes |
| Helm | £3m turnover, £3m raised or a previous exit. UK founder or CEO | 6 to 8, ten a year | A founder who has already exited | Yes, £495 to join then £495 a month |
YPO, Vistage and Hampton details checked on their own websites on 7 September 2026. Business Leader, EO and TAB details from their own websites and published chapter material, checked July 2026. Where an organisation does not publish a price, the table says so. No unpublished fee appears anywhere on this page.
Four questions that narrow it to one or two
- Which ones will take me? Check age, turnover, headcount, sector and role against each bar honestly. This usually removes three or four.
- Do I want a coach or peers? Vistage, Business Leader and TAB build coaching in. YPO, EO and Helm are about the other people in the room.
- How big a room? Six to eight at Helm, EO's lower end and TAB. Ten at Business Leader. Twelve to eighteen at Vistage. Airtime divides accordingly.
- Where, and with whom? Global at YPO, transatlantic at Hampton, international at EO and Vistage, UK at Business Leader and Helm, regional at TAB.
Where Helm is wrong for you
If you clear YPO's criteria and trade internationally, YPO is the stronger room. If you want a coach, Vistage or Business Leader will serve you better. If you are a London SaaS founder who wants US peers, Hampton is built for you. If you are below £3m, EO or TAB. We would rather say that here than have you find it out after joining.
Common questions
What is the best peer group for a UK scale-up CEO?
It depends on your stage, sector, age and what you are missing. For a UK founder past £3m who wants a small room of other founders, Helm runs Forums of six to eight chaired by an exited founder. For coaching, Vistage or Business Leader. For international reach, YPO if you qualify or EO. For London tech founders wanting American peers, Hampton. Below £3m, EO or TAB.
Which UK peer groups publish their prices?
Helm publishes £495 to join then £495 a month. EO publishes its dues, and Business Leader publishes a price on its website. YPO, Vistage UK and Hampton do not publish dues, and TAB gives bespoke quotes. For any that do not publish, ask for the year-one total in writing including joining fees, chapter dues and event costs before comparing.
What are the entry requirements for UK CEO peer groups?
They range widely. TAB publishes no threshold and EO starts at $1m revenue. Helm and Business Leader both sit at £3m turnover, with Helm also accepting £3m raised or a previous exit and Business Leader requiring 15 or more staff. Hampton is $3m and tech only. YPO is the strictest at $16m revenue plus headcount and an under-45 rule.
How big are the groups?
Helm Forums are six to eight. EO forums are six to ten. TAB boards are roughly six to eight. Hampton Core groups are around eight. Business Leader groups are ten. Vistage's Chief Executive Programme is 12 to 18 on its own published figure. In an evenly split session, a room of eight gives each person roughly twice the airtime of a room of sixteen.
Who runs the room in each?
YPO forums are peer-led. EO forums use trained peer moderators. Vistage and Hampton use paid professional facilitators. TAB facilitators are franchisees. Business Leader forums run on a set framework with coaching. Helm Forums are always chaired by a founder who has already exited, which sits between the peer-led and the professional-facilitator models.
Can I join more than one peer group?
None of the seven has an exclusivity rule that we are aware of, and some founders belong to two, often a UK room and an international one. The constraint is time. Two small groups meeting monthly or ten times a year, plus two events programmes, is more than most scaling founders can protect. Be honest about which one would get the diary.
Key Takeaways
- Seven organisations come up for UK scale-up CEOs, and they are built for different founders rather than competing for the same one.
- Check eligibility first. Age, turnover, headcount, sector and role usually remove three or four options before features matter.
- YPO is global and strict. Vistage is coached and broad. Hampton is London tech with American peers.
- Business Leader is a structured programme. EO and TAB are the accessible rooms below £3m.
- Helm is six to eight founders, ten times a year, chaired by an exited founder, UK-wide, for founders and CEOs past £3m.
- Only Helm, EO and Business Leader publish a price. Ask the others for the year-one total in writing.
- Group size sets airtime: eight people get roughly twice the attention each that sixteen do.
- Decide whether you are missing a coach or peers, and where in the world you need them. The list narrows to one or two.
If it is peers you are missing, start here.
Helm is a private club for founders and CEOs of UK scale-ups past £3m. Forums of six to eight, ten times a year, chaired by someone who has already exited. £495 to join, £495 a month.
Apply NowSources and last checked
YPO: ypo.org/membership-requirements and ypo.org/ypo-regions, checked 7 September 2026. Vistage: vistage.co.uk Chief Executive Programme and About pages, checked 7 September 2026. Hampton: joinhampton.com/faq and its 2 September 2025 chapter announcement, checked 7 September 2026.
Business Leader, EO and TAB: their own websites and, for EO, the EO UK London chapter fact sheet, checked July 2026.
No unpublished fee figure appears in this article. Where an organisation does not publish a price, the table says so.
Helm figures: helmclub.co membership pages, checked 7 September 2026.
