09 Oct 2025
The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders has uncovered the stories behind some of the UK’s most ambitious entrepreneurs for the eighth year running.
Created by LDC, the private equity investor that is part of Lloyds Banking Group, and in partnership with The Times, the programme has now celebrated hundreds of remarkable business leaders.
This year, the programme received almost 700 nominations, showcasing the exceptional individuals that are building successful, growing medium-sized businesses right across the UK.
Those featured in The LDC Top 50 for 2025 are making a powerful impact by creating jobs, making a difference in the communities they serve, championing sustainability and expanding internationally. They are also demonstrating resilience as they drive growth and develop new ideas to innovate and diversify.
They operate from 67 towns and cities across the UK and span every sector of the economy, whilst collectively they employ almost 10,000 people and generate combined revenues of £1.2bn.
The leaders of four Scottish businesses were named in The Top 50, with a further five featured as Ones to Watch. This includes Derek and Debra Phillips, Co-Founders of Bathgate-based Clarus Networks – a Scottish telecoms business that has become one of the top-performing resellers globally of SpaceX’s Starlink service, with more than 3,000 deployments across nearly 40 countries. Craig Letton and Benjamin Walker, co-founders of Edinburgh-based Hyble, were also recognised for transforming their company from a printing business to a marketing technology disruptor that now employs 130 people and generates 70 per cent of its £16m revenue in the US.
They were recognised at a celebratory event at BAFTA in London last night, where the UK’s Most Ambitious Business Leader of 2025 was revealed, alongside several category award winners.
Caroline Briggs, Founder and CEO of Glasgow-based procurement specialist Amici took home The Disruptor Award, which recognises a business leader who’s truly transforming their sector with an innovative business model and product or service that breaks the mould. Caroline, a former scientist, founded Amici in 2005 to power intelligent LabOps, helping labs run efficiently, compliantly and cost-effectively. Today, Amici partners with biotechs and pharma companies across the UK, Europe and the US. Her procurement specialist has been a gamechanger for the biotech industry, combining the buying power of hundreds of customers to access savings.
Lee Donaldson, Investment Director in Scotland at LDC, said: “In the eight years since we launched The LDC Top 50 we’ve had the honour of meeting some exceptional business leaders. This year’s cohort has shown drive and ambition in their growth journeys, proven remarkable resilience, and together they are making a real difference to their employees, the communities they work in and society at large. I’d like to congratulate them on everything they’ve achieved so far. Their success stories are only just beginning, and we’re excited to see where their journey takes them next.”
The Scotland-based business leaders featured in The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders for 2025 are:
The Scotland-based business leaders named as Ones to Watch are:
The full list of national award winners are:
Pictured: Caroline Briggs, Amici
