Where are they now: Howard Moss, CEO of Astonish

Since its launch in 2018, the LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme has celebrated hundreds of exceptional individuals. In this series, we reconnect with some of our alumni to discover where their growth journeys have taken them, the impact of being part of the programme, and what their ambitions look like today. 

Astonish was founded in a Leeds shed in 1971 by Alan Moss. His son Howard took the reins two decades ago and has built the business into the UK’s only vegan, cruelty-free cleaning brand, with 80 products sold in 28 countries.

“I have to pinch myself when I think how far we’ve come,” he says. Since featuring in The LDC Top 50 in 2021, he has moved operations to a £30m purpose-built, state-of-the art facility in Bradford, bringing R&D, manufacturing and packaging all under one roof. Pre-tax profits have tripled to £12m but Astonish’s core values have remained the same: “We’re a family business focussed on making best-in-class products that people can trust,” says Howard.

How has your leadership style changed as the business has scaled?

I’ve never forgotten our roots. We started out with very basic manufacturing operations in a rickety old building, and we did everything on a tight budget. My father taught me the importance of building a business with ‘wool on its back’ to withstand hard times, and I still carry that mindset. We now have over 100 staff, including employees who’ve been with us for more than 25 years. I still personally interview every new hire.

How has the business evolved since appearing in The LDC Top 50?

In 2022, we moved into a new 135,000 sq. ft facility. We’ve automated production lines, and our cutting-edge machinery can churn out 200 units per minute, compared to 15 previously. It’s game changing. We’ve also continued to innovate: last year, we launched a new range of toilet gels, priced at 30% below the market leader.

What’s been your biggest challenge?

Soon after moving into the new facility, we discovered we had just 30% of the water capacity we needed – a major issue given water is our core ingredient! We had to work with local authorities to urgently extend the water supply within a 1.5 mile radius. It was incredibly stressful, but I always think the greatest satisfaction comes from navigating the toughest challenges.