What are The LDC Top 50 Awards?

The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders is a business leaders awards programme that’s now in its seventh year. Since 2018, we’ve been celebrating the entrepreneurs reshaping the way business is done, to address the needs of a rapidly changing world.

The programme features those who are the driving force behind growing businesses from every sector and region of the UK. It celebrates leaders who are committed to making a bigger impact beyond their own businesses – whether that’s creating jobs, contributing to sustainability, or putting purpose at the heart of what they do.

Helping growing businesses gain national exposure through The LDC Top 50

These business awards are in partnership with The Times. Every leader named as one of The Top 50 or a One to Watch is profiled in a special supplement in The Times. Not many UK business awards can offer this type of national exposure.

Who has previously been included in these SME business awards?

The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme has received over 3,000 nominations since its launch in 2018. We have interviewed 950 business leaders, and more than 500 businesses have been profiled.

An external judging panel will also decide from The Top 50 and Ones to Watch those leaders that are excelling in several crucial areas, from sustainability to people-first cultures. Last year’s individual award winners include, Luke Consiglio rom The Pantry who took home the accolade ‘Most Ambitious Business Leader’, Anna Brailsford at Code First Girls named as a ‘Trailblazer for women in tech’ and Kuntal and Mark Fisher were recognised for their passion for people with The People First award. You can find out more about the history of these leadership awards in this video, where we interview LDC’s CMO Sam Grey and Martin Rae, Founder of Cloud Nine and ‘Most Ambitious Business Leader’ in 2022.

We like to keep in touch with all of The Top 50, keep track of their progress as they continue to grow their businesses and ensure they make valuable connections with each other. In our ‘Where Are They Now’ series, we reconnect with some of our alumni to find out what happened next for them, the impact of being part of the programme, and what their ambitions are now. You can read interviews with our alumni here.

A highlight of the business awards calendar

The annual Top 50 event is always one of the most popular SME awards ceremonies. The national celebratory event is held at BAFTA in London – and is full of networking, making connections and celebration. You can watch this video to get a flavour of what is always a fantastic evening.

If you want to see yourself on the stage this year or know someone who deserves the spotlight – nominations for 2024 are now open.

Who can enter The LDC Top 50?

Unlike many other UK business awards, The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme is free to enter – and we do not charge for event attendance.

To qualify, candidates must:

• Be the founder, managing director or CEO of a UK-headquartered, privately-owned business.
• Demonstrate a clear vision for their business and a deliverable plan for achieving their goals.
• Evidence a strong track record of delivering their ambitions in business.
• Evidence year-on-year revenue growth.
• Be leading a profitable business, with an annual turnover of up to £50m.

Learn more about The LDC Top 50.

The individual awards categories

Every year, a leading panel of judges select the individual winners from The Top 50 and Ones to Watch; for the following categories:

• The Most Ambitious Business Leader recognises the one person who best defines the ambition and leadership qualities needed to succeed in business today.
• The People First Award recognises a leader with a clear mission to support people and to create a more equitable and inclusive society.
• The Sustainable Impact Award recognises the leader who has created a business that is driven to contribute towards a more sustainable future – ESG awards like these are increasingly important in today’s business climate.
• The International Ambition Award recognises a leader’s ambition and success in expanding operations or sales overseas.
• The Highly Commended: One to Watch recognises the leader who is the driving force behind a smaller business but is destined for great things in the future.
• The Alumni Award recognises a previous Top 50 leader who has gone on to achieve great things.
• Additional awards are sometimes given to business leaders who have demonstrated a particularly disruptive approach across in specific areas – including women in business awards, rising star awards and trailblazer awards.