LDC unveils The Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders of 2024

The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders has uncovered the stories behind some of the nation’s most ambitious entrepreneurs for the seventh year running.

Created by LDC and in partnership with The Times, the programme has now celebrated more than 350 business leaders, and each year the nominations exceed the expectations of the judging panel.

The individuals featured in The LDC Top 50 2024 are making a real impact by creating jobs, promoting social equality, championing sustainability, expanding internationally and integrating purpose into their business practices. They operate from 39 towns and cities across the UK and span every sector of the economy, whilst collectively they employ more than 5,000 people and generate revenues of more than £1.1bn.

The LDC Top 50 and Ones to Watch were celebrated at an awards ceremony at BAFTA in London last night, where the UK’s Most Ambitious Business Leader was revealed among a number of other award winners.

The overall winner, The Most Ambitious Business Leader of 2024, is Russ Mably of Medtrade. He leads the Crewe-based medical device company which has saved countless lives with its blood clotting packs, which are used by paramedics, police and militaries worldwide. The company’s groundbreaking technology, made from shrimp shells, stops bleeding from gunshot wounds and stabbings within 60 seconds. Russ has grown the business to a turnover of £45m.

Having just launched a product to tackle postpartum haemorrhage, which has the potential to save the lives of tens of thousands of new mums each year, Medtrade is set to continue to make a positive impact across the world.

Ambition starts young

New for this year’s programme, the inaugural Youth Ambition Award recognises the achievements of a standout entrepreneur from The Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme which is supported by LDC. Brandon Hulcoop of All Things Dotty has been blind since birth and set up his business, with help from The Prince’s Trust in 2021, to help make the world a better, more accessible place for visually impaired people. He started creating and selling greetings cards using braille, before expanding to create braille menus for cafes and restaurants. Next up, he wants to create braille bus and train timetables to help people travel independently.

Centre stage

The Growth Award, which recognises the business leader who has driven significant growth within their business, went to Kate Prince of Ancient + Brave. Former lawyer Kate started the business from her kitchen table in 2018. Her range of sustainably sourced collagen, blends and supplements are now sold online and in retailers across 22 countries and are so popular that the brand has grown 1,000% over the past three years. Kate’s predominantly female team of 55 people also make up one of the highest scoring B Corp wellness brands in the world.

Dan Jones of Neo G scooped The International Award, which marks an individual’s ambition and success in expanding operations or sales overseas. Under Dan’s stewardship, Yorkshire-based Neo G, which manufactures consumer-focused medical grade orthopaedic devices and advanced wound care products, now sells an item every eight seconds in international retailers such as Boots and Walgreens. Over two thirds of revenues now come from overseas, most notably the US.

Recognising a business leader that is shaking up their sector, The Disruptor Award went to Robert Oates of Arbtech. Robert dropped out of university to set up his ecological consultancy, which has quickly grown to be the market leader in its field. The judges commended him for being a pioneer in his field and for providing a game-changing service to customers.

Sustainable solutions

Richard Haddon of Bluewater Bio took home The Sustainability Award, which recognises the leader of a business that is contributing to a more sustainable future. Richard’s  technology business caught the attention of the judges for its groundbreaking solutions in reusing water and wastewater. Bluewater Bio has grown ten-fold in five years and has cleaned an incredible 1.5 billion tonnes of wastewater.

Next up was The ESG Award, which went to Peter Moody of Gap Group North East for creating a company that is driven to contribute to a more sustainable future. After a 23-year career in the Royal Navy, Peter launched GAP Group North East in 2005. Today, the business recycles an incredible 700,000 fridges and 18,000 tonnes of small domestic appliances each year.

Improving lives

The Impact Award, which recognises an individual who is making a real impact in their industry and on their local community, went to Brinsley Sheridan of RE:GEN Group. Brinsley started the company in 2019, working with housing associations and councils to build, improve and modernise social housing. The judges praised Brinsley for his industry impact and commitment to enriching local communities, having trained 250 people from social housing to gain construction skills and driving qualifications, allowing them to access new careers.

After Jo Tutchener Sharp of Scamp & Dude suffered a brain haemorrhage, she vowed that if she made it out of hospital, she would build a business that helps others. Jo stayed true to her word and was handed The Purpose Award in recognition of her clothing brand Scamp & Dude, which has donated 8,000 superhero sleep buddy toys to children who have lost a parent or are seriously ill, and more than 52,000 Super Scarves to women with cancer.

Honouring the leader with a clear mission to support their employees, The People Award went to Sat Sanghera of IPI. Since Sat joined the business in 2019, IPI has doubled in size, developed its own software products and been awarded a ‘World Class’ rating by Best Companies. His drive and focus stood out to the judges, in particular his mission to create the best possible environment for people to succeed and lead purposeful lives.

Destined for greatness

Hellen Bowey of Alcove received The Rising Star Award, which spotlights an individual who is already making great strides, yet still showing so much potential for further growth and development. Hellen founded virtual care company Alcove to address the lack of technology in the social care sector. The London-based company’s smart care technology packages have even saved the lives of some customers.

The winner of the Highly Commended: One to Watch award, which recognises the leader who is the driving force behind a business destined for great things, went to Glenn Powell of FormusPro. Software company FormusPro captured the judges’ attention for helping customers of all kinds to digitally transform the way they work.

Celebrating our alumni

Finally, LDC has revisited the stories of some of The LDC Top 50 alumni to see where they are now and how their businesses have continued to grow. This year, The Alumni Award, went to Diptesh Patel of UBDS Group. Diptesh originally featured in The LDC Top 50 in 2022 and has since tripled the headcount of his business to employ 150 people, increased its client base by 60%, completed his first acquisition, and is now on target to reach £35m in turnover by 2026.

A standout year

John Garner, Managing Partner at LDC, said: “It’s been seven years since we launched The LDC Top 50 and in that time we’ve had the privilege of meeting some truly remarkable people. Our business leaders for 2024 show relentless drive and determination in their growth ambitions, and I’d like to congratulate them on everything they’ve achieved so far. This is certainly not the end of their success and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Since 2018, The LDC Top 50 has received more than 3,700 nominations and celebrated more than 550 business leaders, shining a spotlight on the remarkable success stories of medium-sized businesses.