Croda International Group Structure & Subsidiaries
Executive Summary
CRODA INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY (company number 00206132) operates as the ultimate UK holding entity for a major global speciality chemicals group, incorporated on 22 May 1925 under SIC code 70100 (Activities of head offices). Public register data confirms there are no registrable upstream Persons with Significant Control (PSCs), reflecting the dispersed shareholding typical of a publicly traded enterprise. Downstream reverse PSC mapping reveals direct control over 18 active UK subsidiaries, three of which serve as intermediate parent vehicles holding a combined total of ten second-tier subsidiaries.
The Technical Limitation of Companies House Search
Corporate lawyers, credit analysts, and compliance officers frequently encounter a core structural limitation when using the official Companies House portal: the register is indexed to point upwards, not downwards.
When a user queries a business on the Companies House register, the platform presents the company's filing history, director list, charges register, and upstream ownership entries. Under Part 21A of the Companies Act 2006, introduced by the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, companies must record who exerts significant control over them. Consequently, viewing the parent company shows who controls the parent. It does not show which operating entities the parent controls.
Entering a parent company name into the search bar will only return subsidiaries if the parent's exact trade name happens to be included inside the subsidiary's registered legal name. Companies such as Uniqema UK Limited or Brookstone Chemicals Limited, which do not share the "Croda" prefix, are completely invisible on Companies House through a standard parent-level search.
Professionals attempting to map downstream corporate trees manually often fall back on audited financial statements. While section 409 of the Companies Act 2006 mandates the disclosure of subsidiary undertakings inside notes to annual accounts, this disclosure route suffers from significant practical drawbacks:
- Reporting lag: Annual accounts are published months after the accounting reference date, meaning newly acquired, restructured, or dissolved entities are omitted.
- Accounting thresholds: Dormant or non-material subsidiaries are sometimes aggregated or exempted from detailed reporting in smaller corporate sub-groups.
- Control mechanics: Financial reports do not reveal real-time statutory PSC control bands (such as shareholding voting bands) registered at Companies House.
Corp Intel resolves this structural gap by reversing the entire UK PSC register. Instead of looking solely at who owns the parent, our search identifies every registered UK corporate entity that has declared CRODA INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY as its corporate PSC or Relevant Legal Entity (RLE). This reverse lookup reveals the downstream group tier by tier.
What the Reverse PSC Search Reveals: Downstream Subsidiaries
Reverse analysis of public register filings confirms that CRODA INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY holds direct registrable control over 18 active UK subsidiaries.
Sixteen of these direct subsidiaries are controlled at the highest statutory ownership bracket (75% to 100% of shares), while two entities are controlled within the 50% to 75% band. Furthermore, three direct subsidiaries operate as intermediate holding companies with their own downstream subsidiaries, creating multiple second-tier layers.
The following table sets out the complete direct subsidiary landscape identified through statutory filings:
| Company Name | Company Number | Status | Incorporation Date | Control Band | Own Subsidiaries |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| CRODA FOOD SERVICES LIMITED | 00823397 | Active | 16/10/1964 | 50-75% shares | 0 |
| CRODA RESINS LIMITED | 00391355 | Active | 23/11/1944 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| CRODA WORLD TRADERS LIMITED | 00155113 | Active | 13/05/1919 | 75-100% shares | 6 |
| UNIQEMA UK LIMITED | 00155012 | Active | 09/05/1919 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| CRODA PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED | 07338892 | Active | 06/08/2010 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| BROOKSTONE CHEMICALS LIMITED | 01243255 | Active | 06/02/1976 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| CRODA POLYMERS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 00420175 | Active | 25/09/1946 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| SOUTHERTON INVESTMENTS LIMITED | 04249884 | Active | 11/07/2001 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| CRODA DISTILLATES LIMITED | 00143637 | Active | 17/04/1916 | 75-100% shares | 2 |
| CRODA COSMETICS & TOILETRIES LIMITED | 00033527 | Active | 07/03/1891 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| COWICK HALL TRUSTEES LIMITED | 03406630 | Active | 22/07/1997 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| CRODA COSMETICS (EUROPE) LIMITED | 02164010 | Active | 14/09/1987 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| CRODA (CPI) LIMITED | SC000961 | Active | 27/04/1880 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| CRODA ENTERPRISES LIMITED | 05519611 | Active | 27/07/2005 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| TECHNICAL AND ANALYTICAL SERVICES LIMITED | 01149651 | Active | 06/12/1973 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| UNIQEMA LIMITED | 03427461 | Active | 02/09/1997 | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| CRODA INVESTMENTS NO 3 LIMITED | 09926779 | Active | 22/12/2015 | 75-100% shares | 2 |
| CRODA TRUSTEES LIMITED | 00444139 | Active | 24/10/1947 | 50-75% shares | 0 |
Second-Tier Subsidiaries and Intermediate Holding Entities
A critical finding from the reverse PSC search is that Croda International does not hold all operational assets directly at tier one. Three entities act as intermediate holding vehicles:
1. CRODA WORLD TRADERS LIMITED (00155113): Incorporated in 1919, this subsidiary holds 6 downstream UK subsidiaries on the register. When conducting due diligence on businesses controlled by Croda World Traders Limited, an analyst must track ownership through this company back to the ultimate public parent.
2. CRODA DISTILLATES LIMITED (00143637): Incorporated in 1916, this entity holds 2 downstream subsidiaries.
3. CRODA INVESTMENTS NO 3 LIMITED (09926779): Incorporated in 2015, this vehicle serves as an intermediate holding company with 2 downstream subsidiaries.
Together, these three companies account for 10 second-tier corporate interests. In credit risk evaluation or M&A ring-fencing, identifying whether liabilities sit at the intermediate holding company level or within the ultimate parent is vital.
Who Sits at the Top: Upstream Chain and Ultimate Beneficial Ownership
Under section 790C of the Companies Act 2006, a Person with Significant Control is an individual or a registrable Relevant Legal Entity holding, directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, or the power to appoint or remove a majority of the board of directors.
The public register records no registrable PSCs for CRODA INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY. As a public limited company admitted to trading, share capital is widely distributed across institutional and public equity markets. Because no individual or corporate shareholder meets or exceeds the statutory 25% threshold, the corporate tree terminates at CRODA INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY as the apex legal entity.
Current Board of Directors and Corporate Officers
Corporate governance is exercised by the board of directors. As of the public register records on 5 November 2026, the company's active officers include:
- Thomas Michael BROPHY: Company Secretary, appointed 10 December 2012.
- Stephen Edward FOOTS: Director, appointed 1 July 2010 (British, resident in England, born September 1968).
- Dr Keith LAYDEN: Director, appointed 6 February 2012 (British, resident in the United Kingdom, born October 1959).
- Roberto CIRILLO: Director, appointed 26 April 2018 (Swiss, resident in England, born September 1971).
- Jacqueline Patricia Christine FERGUSON: Director, appointed 1 September 2018 (British, resident in England, born August 1970).
- Christopher GOOD: Director, appointed 27 April 2023 (British, resident in Switzerland, born January 1960).
- Danuta GRAY: Director, appointed 1 February 2024 (British, resident in England, born November 1958).
- Ian Alan BULL: Director, appointed 25 June 2024 (British, resident in the United Kingdom, born January 1961).
- Stephen Richard OXLEY: Director, appointed 1 April 2025 (British, resident in England, born May 1971).
- Jill Dawn ANDERSON: Director, appointed 12 January 2026 (British, resident in England, born March 1964).
- Nawal OUZREN: Director, appointed 1 February 2022 (French, resident in France, born May 1978).
Historical records on the public register document previous secretarial appointments including John Roy Ainger, George Edwin Bates, and Alexandra Louise Scott, alongside previous directorships including Anita Margaret Frew, Alan Murray Ferguson, and Louisa Sachiko Burdett, among others.
Why Group Structure Mapping Matters for Due Diligence
For commercial solicitors, lenders, credit underwriters, and procurement directors, identifying the precise location of a legal entity inside a group structure is a risk mitigation necessity.
Contracting Entity versus Asset-Holding Entity
Commercial contracts are often negotiated with brand names rather than registered corporate entities. Contracting with an intermediate entity such as Croda Food Services Limited (50-75% ownership) or Croda Enterprises Limited does not automatically bind the parent entity or its extensive asset base. Without an express parent company guarantee, the counterparty's recourse is confined solely to the balance sheet of the signing subsidiary.
Cross-Collateralisation and Security Priority
Lenders assessing corporate credit must confirm whether debt security attachments, such as debentures or legal charges, cover operating assets or intermediate share capital. Reviewing security filings requires running a targeted company charge check on both the parent company and the specific operating subsidiary. If a floating charge sits at the tier-two level, an unsecured lender to the ultimate parent stands junior to the secured creditors of that operational subsidiary.
Step-by-Step Corporate Structure Due Diligence Framework
When evaluating a complex multi-tier group like Croda International, professional teams should follow a defined review methodology:
1. Identify the contracting legal entity: Confirm the exact registered company number on all documentation, cross-referencing against operating subsidiaries like Uniqema UK Limited (00155012) or Croda Resins Limited (00391355).
2. Trace the vertical ownership path: Determine whether the entity is owned directly by the parent company or held through intermediate vehicles such as Croda World Traders Limited.
3. Assess control percentages: Check the statutory PSC filing bracket (e.g., 75-100% vs 50-75%) to verify if external minority interests exist.
4. Audit the asset and encumbrance register: Review the charges register for the operating subsidiary, intermediate parent, and apex holding entity to map cross-guarantees or debentures.
5. Check regulatory compliance and active status: Verify that all tier-one and tier-two entities maintain an active filing status with up-to-date confirmation statements.
Worked Scenario: Assessing Counterparty Exposure in Multi-Tier Groups
Consider a commercial supplier negotiating a multi-million-pound distribution agreement with an operating unit within a major conglomerate. The supplier assumes the contract is backed by the financial strength of the publicly traded group parent.
If the supplier signs an agreement naming an operating subsidiary without conducting reverse corporate mapping, they may discover post-execution that:
- The operating entity is held via an intermediate holding vehicle with external loan covenants.
- The operating subsidiary has entered into fixed and floating debentures that pledge all its trading receipts to a specific commercial lender.
- The ultimate parent company is not a party to the contract and has provided no statutory guarantee.
By executing a reverse structure search prior to contract signing, the supplier identifies the intermediate holding company, evaluates the ring-fenced balance sheet, and successfully insists on an express parent guarantee from CRODA INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY.
How to Get the Croda International Group Structure Chart
Corp Intel generates visual group structure maps derived directly from the Register of Companies and the Register of People with Significant Control. To secure a comprehensive, dated visualization detailing Croda International's direct subsidiaries, intermediate tiers, and cross-tier relationships, you can order the Corporate Org Chart PDF for £25 at /corporate-org-chart.
For Corporate Lawyers, Lenders, and Due Diligence Teams
Under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017), regulated institutions must independently establish the ownership and control structure of corporate clients prior to establishing a business relationship. Relying solely on client self-declarations or incomplete top-level registry searches exposes firms to regulatory sanction. Obtaining a comprehensive structure chart ensures your compliance file contains defensible, dated registry evidence of all intermediate and subsidiary layers.
Corporate structures do not remain static. To protect transactions against unexpected board restructuring, security filings, or ownership changes, teams should establish free company monitoring across all critical parent and subsidiary entities.
FAQ
Does Companies House offer a tool to find all subsidiaries of a company?
No. The Companies House search database is indexed exclusively to display a company's own records, its directors, its filing history, and its upstream PSCs. It does not provide a reverse search function to list downstream subsidiaries owned by a parent company. Identifying downstream subsidiaries requires querying the PSC register in reverse across all UK corporate entities.
Why does Croda International Public Limited Company have no registered PSC?
Under UK company law, a Person with Significant Control must hold more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or have the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors. Croda International is a public limited company whose shares are widely held across institutional and public markets. Because no single individual or qualifying corporate entity holds more than 25% of the voting equity, no registrable PSC is recorded on the register.
What is the difference between a direct subsidiary and a second-tier subsidiary?
A direct subsidiary is owned directly by the parent entity (tier one), which is recorded as the shareholder or corporate PSC. A second-tier subsidiary is owned by a direct subsidiary (an intermediate holding company), meaning the ultimate parent controls it indirectly. In Croda International's structure, companies like Croda World Traders Limited act as intermediate parents holding their own downstream subsidiaries.
Are dormant subsidiaries included in reverse PSC search results?
Yes. As long as a dormant company is registered as active on the public company register and has submitted statutory PSC filings declaring a parent entity as its registrable legal entity, it will appear in a reverse PSC mapping search. This addresses a common issue with filed accounts, which frequently omit or aggregate dormant entities.
How frequently are group structure filings updated at Companies House?
Under the Companies Act 2006, companies must update their PSC register within 14 days of a change and submit form PSC01 through PSC09 to Companies House within a further 14 days. Changes to share capital or corporate ownership must also be confirmed in the annual Confirmation Statement (form CS01).