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Who will be the UK’s Most Ambitious Business Leader?
10 Mar 2025
Today LDC launches its annual search for the UK’s Most Ambitious Business Leaders, in partnership with The Times, and is welcoming nominations from inspirational CEOs, Founders and entrepreneurs.
Now in its eighth year, The LDC Top 50 celebrates the leaders growing the businesses that drive the UK economy forward. The programme continues to champion ambition and shine a light on the unsung heroes of UK business – those leaders with the determination and drive to deliver sustainable business success while also empowering people and making a broader contribution to society and the environment.
The Top 50 and The Ones to Watch of 2025 will be revealed at a celebratory event at BAFTA and profiled in The Times in October.
An independent panel of judges will decide upon The Most Ambitious Business Leader of 2025, as well as category award winners in areas such as international growth, sustainability and people. We will also celebrate a leader who has featured in The Top 50 in previous years through The Alumni Award.
Since its creation, The LDC Top 50 has showcased hundreds of remarkable leaders. The companies represented by The Top 50 of 2024 have a combined pre-tax profit of £121million, collectively turn over more than £1.1billion and employ more than 5,000 people.
The Most Ambitious Business Leader of 2024 was Russ Mably, CEO of medical device company Medtrade. The company makes life-saving medical packs used in 65 countries to stop bleeding from gunshots and knife wounds. Russ, who has spent his career in the complex medical device industry, was recognised for the number of individuals who owe their lives to his innovative product Celox, for his determination to help as many people around the world as possible and for his commitment to innovation.
Winning the Most Ambitious Business Leader Award last year was a real milestone for us. Having the recognition from influential names like LDC and The Times underscores our strategy and has given our customers even greater confidence in our company and the brand. Featuring in The Times also opened doors, raising awareness of our technology and ambition within the industry, and that level of profile is invaluable.”
Last year’s category award winners included Kate Prince, the former media lawyer who started her B Corp wellness brand Ancient + Brave from her kitchen table in 2018. She won The Growth Award for her dedication to people and planet has resonated with consumers, and the brand has grown 1,000 per cent over the past three years. The ESG Award went to Peter Moody of Gap Group North East for creating a company that is driven to contribute to a more sustainable future.
Previous Top 50 business leader Diptesh Patel of UBDS Group took home The Alumni Award. In the two years since featuring in The Top 50 in 2022, Diptesh almost tripled the headcount of the business, boosted its client base by 60 per cent and completed its first acquisition.
He said: “Being part of The LDC Top 50 brought huge recognition to me and the team here at UBDS. The award gave us the edge when speaking to prospective customers, helped alert partners and clients to our work in the social value space, and has supported my own growth journey.”
Commenting on this year’s programme, Sam Grey, Chief Marketing Officer at LDC, added: “At LDC we’re proud to be a trusted partner to ambitious businesses across the UK, as we have been for forty years. We launched The LDC Top 50 eight years ago to celebrate those remarkable CEOs and entrepreneurs, beyond our portfolio, who are driving the growth of their businesses and the wider economy.
“Every year we’re blown away by the calibre of the nominations we receive, allowing us to share the stories of so many exceptional individuals. As a challenging macro environment continues to put their ambition to the test, we’re here to ensure the unsung heroes of UK businesses get the recognition they deserve. We can’t wait to meet The Top 50 of 2025.”
To qualify for the programme, nominated candidates must be the founder, managing director or CEO of a UK-based growing medium-sized businesses with an annual turnover of up to £50million.
Watch the video
Ambition: It’s why we’re here
Get an inside look into the stories of ambition, resilience, innovation and growth that defines The LDC Top 50.
Watch the video