News
The Drive to Succeed
8 Oct 2025
From innovative tech companies to healthcare disruptors and high street brands, the leaders in The LDC Top 50 are defying the odds to deliver growth and supercharge Britain’s economic future.
One thing unites the extraordinary people you’ll encounter in the coming pages: they never give up. No matter what obstacles lie in their path – intensifying competition, staff shortages, challenging supply chains, an uncertain global economy – they keep on going.
Now in its eighth year, The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme is dedicated to celebrating the drive and ambition of Britain’s best and brightest entrepreneurs.
Created by private equity investor LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group, the programme has profiled hundreds of remarkable leaders, all emanating from the UK’s most important – and often neglected – tranche of the economy: growing medium-sized businesses with a turnover of up to £50 million.
Despite making up just 0.7 per cent of UK companies, medium-sized businesses, with 50 to 249 employees, account for 13 per cent of jobs. They are also responsible for almost a fifth of national turnover.
Since 2010, the number of companies representing the UK’s equivalent of Germany’s Mittelstand has grown by 29 per cent. Their contribution to the economy will only become more marked in the coming years.
This is the kind of ambition exemplified by The LDC Top 50. With a combined turnover of £1.2 billion and pre-tax profit of £140 million, these businesses employ almost 10,000 people across the UK, from Port Glasgow to Crawley. Most are expecting to at least double in size within three years.
The LDC Top 50 showcases the diversity of the nation’s entrepreneurial talent, with representation reflecting the true make-up of modern Britain.
Leaders come from a broad range of industries from dairy to digital entertainment experiences, mental health to manufacturing. They’re showing us what’s possible when it comes to creating new categories, overcoming hardship, reaching global audiences, and taking care of themselves and others.
John Garner, managing partner at LDC, says: “Every year, we are impressed by the dynamic and ambitious leaders building businesses in the UK today.”
Even after eight years, we continue to discover talented individuals, hailing from every corner of the UK, from a wide variety of backgrounds, who are building sustainable, mission-driven businesses. We are proud to shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes of the UK economy.”
Putting Others First
Many of The LDC Top 50 understand that the power behind their businesses is their people – and they make every effort to create nurturing environments that boost happiness, engagement and productivity.
Take Lou Ellis-Frankland, who took the reins at Mansfield Pollard, the 160-year-old manufacturer based in Bradford, in 2020. When she realised staff engagement levels were low, she went on a mission to make the business the best employer in the region.
“We introduced one-to-ones, to which people asked, ‘Why would you do that?’. We reviewed pay and added apprenticeship schemes, pensions, healthcare, paid time off for birthdays, and charity days,” Ellis-Frankland explains.
“Our on-site gym and nap pods are hugely popular — people use them before work, at lunch and after their shifts. We built a wellbeing strategy that includes access to mortgage advisors, talks on mental health from professional speakers and even sessions on eating and sleeping well. Now people proudly say, ‘I love my job.’”
Sally Alington, founder of customer experience consultancy Ethos Farm, has also been inspired to create a better workplace for her employees.
“My dad is deaf and my brother has a hidden disability so I understand that people can have challenges in life,” she says. Alington believes in giving everyone the chance to have a career they will love. “We have a partnership with the Down’s Syndrome Association,” she explains.
We have had our first staff members with Down’s syndrome work in frontline jobs for us, which I love.”
This is just the beginning, she says. “I want to grow diversity within our business, and I’d love to have more people with disabilities work for us. We can be a much more inclusive society.” Her business employs a sizeable 1,200 people and regularly appears on “best company to work for” lists. With UK unemployment rates touching 5 per cent, our economy needs more leaders like these, helping anyone with drive and enthusiasm to access a fulfilling career.
Family Values
The companies included in The LDC Top 50 prove that with the right leader, a positive impact can be made, whether you’re in AI or milk. Shaun Young, who launched The Estate Dairy with wife Rebecca in 2016 in a bid to disrupt the category, started with a borrowed van and just £5,000 in the bank.
Now their premium milks are stocked in supermarkets across the UK – and the £25 million-turnover company offers farmers a fair price. “We’re probably one of the best milk payers in the country and we are so proud to do that,” says Shaun.
The company, which plans to double in size by 2028, is committed to sustainability; it is already a certified B Corp, and is moving over to solar power and an electric fleet of vans. The Youngs have pioneered the use of 18-litre kegs when delivering milk, which have a 10-year lifespan and can be recycled. “We have to keep the momentum rolling across the business, across everything we do,” Shaun explains.
Jeremy Ranson, founder of Praesto Consulting, is one of several leaders – men and women – in this year’s LDC Top 50 who were driven to start a business to spend more time with their families. When he found himself commuting from Darlington to London, spending six days a week away from his two-month-old baby, he decided enough was enough. Launching Praesto Consulting gave him the flexibility he craved.
“I needed to be home with my young one,” Ranson says. “It seemed like the optimum time to start my own business.” He has grown an exciting company alongside his parental responsibilities and plans to double its turnover within three years.
“We’re in year one of the plan and already ahead of schedule,” Ranson says, adding that he is motivated by the desire to provide for his family. “I come from a modest background. We never had a lot as kids.”
Growth Mindset
Souroush Honary’s company System Loco makes smart- tracking devices used by the likes of Google, Apple and Sony to monitor high-value shipments.
His entrepreneurial drive has seen his Lancaster-based business move swiftly into new industries, such as transporting surgical instruments on behalf of pharma giants.
Like 77 per cent of this year’s LDC Top 50, Honary also trades overseas: 90 per cent of System Loco’s revenue is generated in the US, and the fast-growing business is moving into South America and Asia.
Jade Holland Cooper, founder of luxury British fashion brand Holland Cooper, is also expanding rapidly – doubling down on her headquarters in Cheltenham. “We’re building our HQ literally from the ground up – a custom 70,000 square foot space,” she explains.
“It will house head office, custom mock shops, photography studios, our wholesale showrooms and a huge flagship store.”
Coming from a farming background, Holland Cooper’s quintessentially English bestsellers include trench coats, power suits and tailored blazers alongside jodhpur jeans and Oxford shirts; the Princess of Wales owns several of the brand’s blazers. “We’ve got expansion happening with very little marketing because we have such a strong DNA,” Holland Cooper says.
Dominique Kent of Bluecrest Wellness is another who is never content to sit still. “I’m always thinking how I can improve processes.”
Based in Worthing, Bluecrest Wellness has completed just over one million affordable health screenings across the country to date. Kent has made sustainability a core part of her mandate at the business.
I care about environmental impact so we’ve done a lot of work on that front, reducing the miles assessors have to drive and looking at packaging and plastic. We’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 10,000kg annually.”
All of this year’s LDC Top 50 have proven they can deliver on their promises. “Our leaders are driven by an all-encompassing belief in what they’re doing, that is how they have – and continue to – outperform their peers,” says LDC’s Garner. “Short-termism is the enemy of sustainable business and these leaders keep one eye on the horizon, making decisions today that will reap rewards many years from now.”
Given the challenging economy, they have learned to do more with less, leaning on technology and listening to customers more intently than ever.”
Feeling inspired? Register your interest or put forward a CEO or Founder you know for The LDC Top 50 2026.