Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top London based CEO’ operating in the Consumer Goods space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Andrew Xeni
CEO, Co-Founder of Fabacus
A highly driven and experienced CEO with a diverse portfolio of business interests. Andrew’s primary focus has till recently been in the family garment manufacturing business, Europride Ltd., founded with his brother. Having supplied most of the UKs largest fashion retailers for over a decade, Andrew understands their supply chain needs. The businesses boast a combined annual turnover in excess of $150m, with over 2,000 employees globally and including vested interests in the full supply chain: Factories in the UK, Eastern Europe, Morocco and Sri Lanka, a UK dye house, a UK knitting plant, fabric import business, and UK printing facilities. Andrew also has two ecommerce brands, Baaclothing.Com and NobodysChild.Com, that compliment his fully integrated vertical manufacturing service. Fabacus is the brainchild of all this supply chain, retail and ecommerce experience. Understanding exactly what is needed to improve each process and make businesses faster and more cost efficient, Andrew alongside his co-founder Ray Noppé, were able to build a suite of solutions. Fabacus delivers optimal efficiency for greater profit through customisable software for business intelligence, data management, relationship management and e-commerce marketing optimisation. To date Fabacus has successfully integrated its solution with the likes of Charlotte Tilbury, Salesforce and Revel. In addition to Fabacus and Europride Ltd, Andrew continues to invest in technology alongside New Look founder, Tom Singh, as well as property development and music interests: Launching his own music label, supporting and developing new talents.
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About Fabacus: Fabacus is a technology business that transforms brand licensing through the power of data.
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Alan Jope
Chief Executive Officer of Unilever
Alan joined Unilever in the UK in 1985, subsequently working in North America for 14 years and in Asia for 13 years. Before being appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Alan served as President of Unilever’s Personal Care business from 2014 and continued as President when the name of the division changed in 2018 to Beauty and Personal Care. From 2009 Alan led Unilever’s business in China and North Asia, doubling its size and laying important foundations for future success. He was appointed to Unilever’s Leadership Executive in 2011 in his role as President of Unilever’s businesses across North Asia. His previous senior roles have also included President Russia, Africa & Middle East; global category leader for several of Unilever’s Foods businesses; and President of Unilever’s Home & Personal Care business in North America. Earlier, Alan worked in a number of sales and marketing roles in the UK, Thailand, and the US. Alan holds a Bachelor of Commerce with honours from Edinburgh University, Scotland. He also graduated from Harvard Business School’s General Management Program in 2001.
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About Unilever: Unilever produces and supplies fast-moving consumer goods in food, home, and personal care product categories worldwide.
Jessi Baker
Founder & CEO of Provenance
Jessi Baker is the founder of Provenance, building the future of supply chain transparency and product trust on the blockchain. She is an Art and Science hybrid, with Master’s degrees in Engineering from the University of Cambridge and Design from the Royal College of Art. She has worked with brands on technology strategy across the US and Europe, including Adidas, The Four Seasons, The Guggenheim Museum, British Airways and Will.I.Am. She is an associate researcher at the Intel Institute for Sustainable Cities and a regular speaker on technology and social business.
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About Intel, Provenance: Provenance is the leading software solution for sustainability communications
Jean-Christophe Chopin
Founder and CEO of BORN
A creator and innovator by nature, JC is an entrepreneur who has had a strong presence in online financial services, digital insurance and stock brokerage. He has a wealth of international experience with expertise in the US as well as vast European digital and brand management knowledge. JC pioneered E*Trade Europe and Verisign in the early days of the Internet, and later went on to invest in real estate, time pieces and luxury fashion. His passion for skiing and extreme sports also led him to launch the ‘Carre Neige’ ski insurance within the Savoie region. Most recently, he has married his online finance expertise with his experience in design and luxury brands to create BORN, a B2B global market-network that connects design-led brands with retailers.
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About BORN: BORN is the world’s first private B2B platform that connects a global network of design-led lifestyle brands and retail buyers.
Petter Neby
Founder and CEO of Punkt. Tronics
Petter Neby is a Norwegian technology entrepreneur. Mr. Neby launched his first business in Norway in 1989, at the age of seventeen, and in 1991 moved to Paris, to work for an international consumer electronics company. Innovation and creativity has led Mr. Neby to find and manage successful businesses in the telecommunications, enterprise software and website areas. Mr. Neby created Punkt. in 2008 to offer straightforward alternatives to multi-function devices that started to dominate the consumer electronic marketplace.
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About Punkt. Tronics: Punkt. is a Swiss design led technology company that aims to make life simpler by creating timeless and outstanding products
Ben Patten
Founder & CEO of Good Club
Founded a number of businesses. Main skills are articulating a vision, finding the necessary resources and creating the foundations for growth. Recently studied the product management process to understand how to improve the success rate of creating a digital product. Worked closely with a number of different funding sources. Creating a business that brings sustainability to a mainstream audience. Loves swimming outdoors
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About Good Club: Good Club is a Zero Waste supermarket that offers different brands and sells groceries in reusable packaging.
Ashleigh Hinde
Founder & CEO of Waldo
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About Waldo: Waldo delivers high quality, daily contact lenses on subscription.
Iris Anson
Founder/CEO of Solely Original
Iris is a founding director at Solely Original, an online bespoke women’s footwear brand. As a fashion conscious city professional, she decided to leave behind her career as a tax consultant to pursue a solution for women like her, who had trouble finding fashionable shoes that are comfortable to walk in.
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About Etiq AI, Solely Original: Solely Original is a shoe brand allowing clients to design their own shoes, have custom made to fit the specifications of the feet.
Lana Elie
Founder and CEO of Floom
Lana Elie is the Founder & CEO of Floom.
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About Floom: Floom is a tech-enabled marketplace for florists to sell their creations direct to customers.
Thang Vo-Ta
CEO & Co-Founder of Callaly
Co-founder & CEO at Callaly.Thang is a graduate of MIT and started his career in Goldman Sachs in NYC & London.
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About Callaly: Callaly is a period care company that develops and manufactures innovative feminine care products.
Ben Fletcher
Co-Founder & CEO of The Mothership
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About Lead Bullets, Oxford Global Resources, The Mothership: The Mothership brings the power of multichannel marketing and digital-first branding to the best consumer products.
Dominic Dinardo
CEO of Aforza
Dinardo has been working in cloud computing since he joined Salesforce in 2002 and in that time he helped pioneer the Cloud Computing marketplace in Europe and beyond. Previously, he had a number of technical consulting and management roles within IBM Tivoli and Shell. Since 2012 he has held executive positions in Industry Cloud companies Veeva and Vlocity focusing on the Life Sciences, Telecoms, Energy and Insurance sectors. Prior to his time at Salesforce, Dinardo held a number of technical consulting and management roles within IBM Tivoli and Shell. In all, Dinardo has more than 25 years of technology sales and management experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from The University of Glasgow.
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About Aforza: Aforza develops cloud and mobile apps for consumer goods companies.
Darcey Croft
CEO & Co-Founder of Barenaturals
Co-Founder & CEO of Barenaturals on a mission to impact the world through conscious consumerism & replace lost habitats by planting trees. Lots of trees. Digital Evangelist and social marketing expert.
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About Barenaturals, SocialMushroom: Barenaturals is a world friendly and candle company. They make natural candles & organic skincare balms with nature’s greatest ingredients.
Kishan Vasani
Co-Founder & CEO of Spoonshot
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About Spoonshot: Spoonshot is a developer of a personal discovery platform used to replicate human cognition in the food domain.
Celine Ivari
Co-Founder & CEO of WholyMe
Celine Ivari is the co-founder and CEO of WholyMe. She is also the co-founder of Meshkati. Celine earned her master’s degree in Genetics at UCL.
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About WholyMe: WholyMe offers the healthiest, effective relief remedies. Our products are all-natural and 100% organic certified.
Alex Smilansky
Co-Founder & CEO of Mayku
Before founding Mayku with Ben, Alex led the development of apps and websites as a Strategy Lead at Mint Digital. His clients included Tesco and the Cabinet Office, as well as launching multiple fresh ventures.
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About Mayku: Mayku develops tabletop machines to help streamline product development cycle.
Paul Preuveneers
CEO & Founder of Uncommon
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About Uncommon: Uncommon designs and develops bespoke merchandise and teamwear
Kaushal Shah
Founder and CEO of envoPAP
Trying to turn Ideas into Reality!
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About envoPAP, Inwius: envoPAP is a Sustainable Materials Company utilizing green technology to provide agricultural waste with a second life.
David Kovats
Founder & CEO of Collectorism
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About Collectorism: Collectorism is a global network providing a platform for collectors to showcase and exchange their items.
Ed Goring
Chief Executive Officer of Kindlee
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About Kindlee: Kindlee is a brand of hand gels that are made from a unique blend of ingredients.
