The UK’s most ambitious business leaders take centre stage in The LDC Top 50 2026

The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders has recognised some of the people behind the UK’s most ambitious medium-sized businesses for 2026.

Now in its ninth year, the programme was created by LDC in partnership with The Times and has celebrated hundreds of entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the UK.

This year, more than 620 business leaders were nominated from across the UK. The leaders featured are driven by an appetite for growth that is helping to build stronger, more sustainable businesses and a more competitive UK economy. They are expanding internationally, developing new products and services, challenging established markets and investing in their people.

Together, their businesses generate £1.4bn in annual revenues and employ almost 8,500 people. Headquartered in 55 towns and cities, they demonstrate the contribution that medium-sized businesses make to their communities and the wider UK economy.

The LDC Top 50 and Ones to Watch were celebrated at an awards ceremony at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly in London last night, where the UK’s Most Ambitious Business Leader was revealed among a number of other category award winners.

The overall winner, The Most Ambitious Business Leader of 2026, is Paul Volkaerts of Nervecentre. Fifteen years ago, Paul began developing an electronic patient record system that has become an invaluable NHS tool, capturing notes, discussions and important information across a patient’s entire medical journey. The judges were impressed by the sheer scale of his impact – Nervecentre has won significant market share from US-owned competitors, built turnover approaching £40 million and has developed a pipeline of contracts worth north of £1 billion.

Ambition starts young

The Youth Ambition Award, returning for its third year, recognises the achievements of a standout young entrepreneur from The King’s Trust Enterprise programme, which is supported by LDC. Tulasi Parmar of TULASI is pioneering a new era of fashion by combining traditional craftsmanship with digital technology. After winning Young Fashion Designer UK at 16, she did a degree in fashion during which she designed and manufactured made to measure costumes for global pop star Anne-Marie’s Dysfunctional Tour. She also honed her craft at a couture house, creating commissions for celebrity for clients including Adele, Lady Gaga and Idris Elba.

Inspired by her Kenyan-Gujarati heritage and what it means to be British, Parmar launched her label TULASI immediately after graduating in 2024, creating garments that exist both in real life and in virtual environments.

Building bigger and better

The Growth Award, which recognises the business leader who has driven significant growth within their company, went to Partha Chakraborty and Jo Whalley of INNOVERV Global. Partha and Jo co-founded AI-first consultancy INNOVERV in 2023 and have achieved feats described by one judge as “truly amazing”. Revenue has risen by almost 800 per cent in three years, with revenue now predicted to hit £100 million in four years.

The Sustainability Award, celebrating the leader who is building an environmentally conscious business, went to Jonny Catto of iPac Packaging Innovations. In 2016, Jonny co-founded Gateshead-based iPac, which makes sustainable thermoformed plastic packaging for retailers using up to 100% recycled plastics. To date, iPac has processed two billion recycled plastic bottles and sends zero waste to landfill, while powering its processes with renewable energy.

Making an impact and breaking the mould

Recognising the leaders who are committed to doing good in the world, The Purpose Award went to Dr Farzana Rahman and Dr Amy Davis of Hexarad. The pair built their teleradiology specialist by prioritising mission over profit, granting the NHS access to its resource management tools. Hexarad was founded to address a shortage of radiologists and help reduce delays in patients receiving scan results. The judges praised the London-based firm as a shining example of how private companies can support the health service.

Recognising the business leaders that are bold, ambitious and always one step ahead, The Disruptor Award went to Dr Peter McQuillan and Akil Memishi of Novomins. Peter and Akil are thriving in the highly competitive supplements sector they joined in 2020, developing gummies without commonly used fillers and artificial ingredients. Over the past three years, Novomins has grown by more than 500 per cent, and its products have displaced established brands on supermarket shelves. Novomins sells a tub of gummies every ten seconds.

Leading by example

Fiona O’Connell of Stockton Group won The Pioneer Award. Having initially trained as a welding engineer, Fiona became one of the first women to hold all the formal qualifications in it. She later studied contract law in her spare time and went on to run major global infrastructure projects in places including Mozambique and Azerbaijan, being the only woman working on the ground. When she was made redundant after announcing she was pregnant, Fiona launched Stockton Group in Barnsley in 2004. She remembers: “I spent my redundancy cheque on a drilling rig. This year we’ll turn over £25 million.”

The People First Award, recognising a leader with a clear mission to support their employees, went to Dave Kelly of 2i. After joining 2i in 2014, Dave successfully turned around the struggling software-tasting business: not only did he save the jobs of its six staff, but he hired 594 more in the years that followed. Dave recruits based on aptitude, not education, meaning those without formal training are given a chance. Unlike the wider technology industry, women are equally represented in 2i’s senior management team. He also works alongside universities to develop courses that meet real-world demand.

Taking ambition global

Tom Keegan of DBD International took home The International Ambition Award, which marks his ambition and success in expanding operations and sales overseas. Warrington-based nuclear engineering and safety consultancy DBD has several American outposts and supports projects for the US Department of Energy. It has also recently opened an office in Adelaide, Australia. Tom has grown DBD’s turnover to more than £30 million in the past ten years and believes he can take it to £300 million in the next decade.

The International Growth Award went to Hannah Mann and Abigail Stuart of Day One Strategy. Their healthcare insights agency advises big pharma in where to place its bets and has expanded rapidly in the tough US market just two years after launching the business. The judges were impressed by the speed of execution: revenue has since grown 150 per cent in three years to reach £23 million. Their ambitions remain high, with plans to triple turnover by 2029 and expand their US business to grow to twice the size of their UK operation.

Shaping what comes next

William Moore of Airbox Systems received the Rising Star Award, which recognises the business leaders who are shaping tomorrow’s world. William founded Airbox Systems in 2008 and its technology is now trusted by organisations including the SAS. It draws on myriad data sources to provide a comprehensive visual map for police, air ambulance crews and the British military. Revenue for the business is growing 50 per cent a year and Airbox supports over 200,000 high-threat emergency responses annually.

The Highly Commended: One to Watch Award, which recognises the leaders who are the driving force behind a business destined for great things, went to Dan Clark of MindJam. Dan impressed judges with his mission to empower young people who are struggling in traditional settings, providing a place where they can feel understood, safe and able to thrive. His ambition is to help every young person realise their potential.

Championing our alumni

Finally, LDC revisited the stories of some of The Top 50 alumni who continue to prove that the UK remains a powerhouse of growth. This year The Alumni Award went to Peter Moody of GAP Group North East. Since appearing in The LDC Top 50 in 2024, Peter has continued to take his business from strength to strength, cementing its position as one of the largest electrical waste recyclers in the UK. Over the last two years, he has opened a net zero fridge recycling plant near Perth, creating 50 jobs. He has also built a new site near York, pioneered a UK-wide insulation programme and launched a joint venture to recover gold and cooper from electronic waste.