A nationwide search has been launched to find the UK’s most ambitious business leaders, with organisers calling for greater representation of South Asian female entrepreneurs.
The annual initiative, led by private equity investor LDC in partnership with The Times, aims to recognise and celebrate founders, CEOs, and business leaders driving economic growth, innovation, and social impact. This year, the organisers are keen to see more nominations from the South Asian community, particularly women who remain underrepresented in business leadership roles.
Since its inception, The LDC Top 50 has spotlighted hundreds of influential female leaders across industries. In 2024, the businesses featured collectively generated more than £1.1 billion in revenue and employed over 5,000 people.
Several South Asian female business leaders have previously been recognised in The Top 50, including Kavita Parmar, Co-CEO of Word360, who transformed a small translation business into a vital language services provider for the health and social care sector. Other honourees include Barinda Hothi, founder of training company The Knowledge Academy; Somayeh Aghnia, Co-Founder of software development firm Geeks; Nisha Katona MBE, founder of Mowgli Street Food; and Nagma Ebanks-Beni, Co-CEO of Prima Cheese, who won The International Ambition Award in 2022.
Reflecting on the recognition, Ebanks-Beni said: “Being part of The LDC Top 50 was very special for us. It was the first time that Nima and I had been recognised together as co-CEOs.”
FIECON Co-Founder Kuntal Fisher, who was featured in 2023 and received The People First Award, emphasised her company’s commitment to growth and social impact: “By 2023, we want to grow our business to £100 million turnover and give £10 million back to society. We want to do something that’s bigger than ourselves and leave the world in a better place than we found it.”
With this year’s programme underway, Sam Grey, Chief Marketing Officer at LDC, highlighted the significance of recognising ambitious leaders in an increasingly challenging economic climate:
“Every year, we are blown away by the calibre of nominations, allowing us to share the stories of exceptional individuals. As a challenging macro environment continues to test ambition, we’re here to ensure the unsung heroes of UK business get the recognition they deserve. We can’t wait to meet The Top 50 of 2025.”
The final list of The LDC Top 50 and The Ones to Watch for 2025 will be unveiled in October at a celebratory event at BAFTA and profiled in The Times.
To qualify, nominees must be the founder, managing director, or CEO of a UK-based, medium-sized business with an annual turnover of up to £50 million.
Nominations are now open, with organisers hoping to see more South Asian female entrepreneurs among this year’s standout leaders.
To nominate of for more information visit LDCTop50
