Dods

About Dods

Dods is a British political intelligence provider founded in 1832, a trusted heritage brand offering parliamentary monitoring, policy analysis and stakeholder data across the United Kingdom and the European Union. Its origins lie in The Parliamentary Pocket Companion, first published by Charles Roger Phipps Dod in 1832 and published continuously ever since, making it one of the oldest political reference publishers in the world. Today, from its London base, Dods combines nearly two centuries of heritage in political engagement with an online political intelligence platform, consultancy services and stakeholder management tools, serving clients across the corporate, government and charity sectors. It publishes from dodspoliticalintelligence.com.

The 1832 founding

Dods was founded almost 200 years ago, providing biographical information and contact details about MPs, peers and the civil service in the United Kingdom. The first edition, entitled The Parliamentary Pocket Companion, was published by Charles Roger Phipps Dod in 1832. The title was changed in 1843 to The Parliamentary Companion, and the company has published continuously ever since.

The Companion was, in effect, the original who's who of British politics: a compact, authoritative reference that told its readers who the members of Parliament were, who held office in the civil service, and how to contact them. In an age before official online registers, it was the indispensable tool of everyone who needed to engage with the political system, from journalists and lobbyists to the politicians themselves.

Two centuries of continuous publication

The claim that Dods has published continuously since 1832 makes the Parliamentary Companion one of the longest-running reference works in British publishing. Through the Victorian age, two world wars, the advent of universal suffrage and the creation of the modern administrative state, the Companion kept its readers supplied with biographical and contact details for the people who governed Britain.

That unbroken record is the foundation of the Dods brand. The company describes itself as a trusted heritage brand with a deep understanding of people, parliament and policy, and its marketing still trades on the authority accumulated over nearly two centuries: “Political insights you can trust. Since 1832.”

Expansion to the European Union

In 2000 Dods expanded its remit to include the European Union, listing Members of the European Parliament, European Commissioners and key EU officials. The move recognised that British political engagement could no longer stop at Westminster: with large areas of regulation decided in Brussels, the company's clients needed the same biographical and contact intelligence for the EU institutions that Dods had long provided for the UK.

The EU expansion established the dual UK-EU coverage that remains central to the Dods offer. The renamed Dods People, the online successor to the printed Companion, today covers both jurisdictions, and the company's monitoring and consultancy services operate across London and Brussels.

Dods People

The renamed Dods People is an online directory which continues to offer the biographical and contact details that were the company's founding product. It is the direct descendant of the 1832 Parliamentary Pocket Companion, translated from print into a searchable stakeholder management tool.

Dods People helps clients identify and communicate effectively with key contacts across the UK and the EU, from ministers and MPs to MEPs, commissioners and officials. The stakeholder management tools built around the directory allow public-affairs teams to map the political landscape relevant to their issues and to manage their engagement systematically.

The political intelligence platform

With Dods Political Intelligence, the company combines its 200-year heritage in political engagement with human connection and innovative technology, through a cutting-edge online political intelligence platform. A team of over 20 expert political consultants keeps clients informed on the policy and regulatory changes relevant to them and their industries.

The platform's market-leading coverage is designed to ensure subscribers receive relevant, up-to-date information on parliamentary issues, delivered by experts who understand the complexities of their sector. Each subscription is built around the client's sector, priorities and team, so that they receive only the intelligence that is relevant to them.

Dods Monitoring

Curated by Dods's policy experts and powered by artificial intelligence, the Dods Monitoring service delivers comprehensive, timely coverage of the latest political and policy developments. Subscribers receive alerts tailored to their needs, allowing them to stay informed on what matters without the noise of undifferentiated news flow.

The monitoring draws on more than 13,000 sources across the UK and the EU, and the company's journalists cover the latest breaking news, bringing high-quality content and analysis that looks beyond the immediate headlines. The recently relaunched platform offers instant alerts and contextual insight, blending machine scale with expert curation.

Dods Research and Dods Consultancy

Dods Research gives clients access to the latest analysis from the company's political consultants and a wider network of leading political scientists and practitioners. A dedicated consultant provides proactive briefings and sector-specific advice, and clients can commission in-depth research projects to drive their engagement strategy.

Dods Consultancy, based in Brussels and London, offers industry experts providing real-time analysis and impartial guidance on the latest policy developments and trends. Subscribers benefit from exclusively tailored updates, advice and research from a dedicated policy consultant. A further service, Dods Signals, assesses the reach of clients' communications and campaigns.

Acquisitions: PoliticsHome and DeHavilland

Dods pursued growth by acquisition in the 2010s. In July 2011 it acquired PoliticsHome, the Westminster-focused political news website, for a deferred payment of up to £2 million, adding a digital news asset to its intelligence portfolio. The following year it agreed to buy the business and certain assets of the DeHavilland Political Intelligence division of Emap Limited for £12.8 million, a deal Dods said would provide significant identifiable synergies and cross-selling opportunities and grow its digital subscriptions business.

The DeHavilland deal, structured as a reverse takeover financed through a share placing, brought together two of the leading names in UK political monitoring. Dods's chief executive Gerry Murray said DeHavilland came with a high reputation for customer service and quality of information and would provide an ideal enhancement to Dods's existing portfolio.

Mission and values

Dods states its mission as connecting government and stakeholders to enable an efficient and transparent dialogue: it informs, educates and advises to enable constructive debate between policymakers and stakeholders. Across all aspects of the business it promotes impartiality, transparency and integrity, and takes pride in work that encourages political engagement and understanding.

The company provides its customers, partners and the public with the skills, intelligence and platforms needed to engage effectively across the spheres of politics, public sector administration and public affairs. Organisations have been turning to it for pertinent information on what is going on in government since the first Parliamentary Companion appeared in 1832.

Dods today

Today Dods operates from the 11th floor of The Shard at 32 London Bridge Street, London, employing between 50 and 200 people in the information services industry. Its services comprise three main elements: Dods Consultancy, Dods Monitoring and Dods People, supported by research and signals products, serving clients across the corporate, government and charity sectors in the UK and the EU.

From a pocket companion to Parliament published in 1832 to an AI-assisted intelligence platform monitoring 13,000 sources, Dods has repeatedly reinvented the delivery of its founding product — authoritative knowledge about the people who govern — while keeping the publication at its heart in continuous print for nearly two centuries.