The LDC Top 50
The LDC Top 50 – Awards Entry Guide
29 Feb 2024
The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme, in partnership with The Times, aims to uncover and celebrate the UK’s most ambitious entrepreneurs.
Why enter?
It is a well-recognised awards programme that can help you celebrate and showcase your success to your employees and customers with a profile in The Times.
You will also have the opportunity to network with like-minded business leaders at regional celebratory events across the UK and a national event, held at BAFTA in London.
You can enter yourself or someone you know here. Nominations close on 24th May.
Praveen Karadiguddi, Scrumconnect
“I was proud to be a part of such an inspiring group of leaders and found the peer-to-peer insights extremely valuable.”
Dan Williams, Orean
"Being part of The LDC Top 50 gave Orean a lot of free publicity. We won new business as a result."
Sara Lou-Ann Jones, Centre of Excellence
“Being in The LDC Top 50 was an opportunity to look back at how far we have come as a company.”
Who can enter?
The programme profiles those who are the driving force behind growing businesses from every sector and region of the UK economy. 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.
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
How is The Top 50 decided?
Shortlisted candidates are invited to attend a one-hour meeting (which can take place via video call or in person) with The Top 50 research team (February to May). This is to discuss details of their nomination and their ambition in more depth.
The Top 50 research team will combine the information gathered from both the nomination form and the research meeting to determine who features in The Top 50 and the Ones to Watch category, the leaders that are on course for great things. The research team will compare the extent to which each candidate has demonstrated excellence in the following areas:
- Vision (25%)
- Plan (25%)
- Track record (25%)
- Financial growth (25%)
Successful candidates will then be invited for an interview with The Top 50 editor-in-residence, (June/July) ahead of their profile being published in The Times in October.
Our judging panel will then decide the individual award winners which will be announced at our celebratory event at BAFTA London in October, the day before they will also be announced in The Times.
Last year’s individual award winners include, Luke Consiglio at 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.
The LDC Top 50
Watch the video to find out more about The LDC Top 50 of 2023 and the history of these prestigious leadership awards, featuring LDC’s CMO Sam Grey and Martin Rae, Founder of Cloud Nine and ‘Most Ambitious Business Leader’ in 2022.
Watch the videoHow can I enter?
There are two nomination forms – one to nominate yourself and one to nominate someone else, they can be found here.
Those candidates nominated by a third party will be contacted by our team to ensure they’re happy to participate.
Nominations for two or more co-founders or co-leaders of a business are welcome, please submit the nomination for one leader and email Top50@ldc.co.uk with the detail (name/email address) of the additional individual(s) to be added.
Entry is free of charge as is attendance at all of the events.
For further information please contact the Top 50 research team at Top50@ldc.co.uk.