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 Association 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.
Benoy Berry
CEO & Founder of Contec Global Inc.
As CEO and managing director of Continental Transfer Technique Limited (Contec Global), Benoy Berry leads a Chicago firm that engages in ventures around the globe in hospitality, secure technologies, infrastructure, and research and development. In recent years, Benoy Berry has emphasized investments in the energy sector, and his firm maintains a longstanding presence in the African oil, gas, and power markets. His company also pursues alternative technology projects, including the development of an electric automobile in China and an ammonia-powered vehicle. Benoy Berry has a degree in economics from Delhi University along with an MA in finance from the same institution. He pursued doctoral studies in communication arts at the World Open University. His professional accomplishments include earning the Nigeria Association of Science’s Outstanding Achievement in Technology Award in 2011. Benoy Berry supports a number of humanitarian causes, and he also received an award for sponsoring the National Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign.
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About Contec Global Inc.: Continental Transfer Technique Limited (CONTEC), a biometric technology and secured system organization.
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Helen McEachern
Chief Executive Officer of Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
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About Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women is a charity that supports women entrepreneurs in developing and emerging markets
Stan Polovets
Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of The Genesis Prize
Stan Polovets is the Co-founder of Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG), a private foundation with offices in Moscow, New York, and Tel Aviv. GPG’s mission is to develop and enhance a sense of Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews worldwide, with a particular emphasis on the former Soviet Union, North America, and Israel, where up to three million Russian-speaking Jews reside. He also serves on the boards of various non-profits, including as Vice Chairman of Hillel Russia. Stan is a member of the Board of Directors of the Russian-American Trade Council. He is also the CEO of the Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR) Consortium, which oversaw $28 billion in oil and gas assets for Alfa Group, Access Industries, and Renova Group. Mr. Polovets is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vnimanie Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Russian children with learning disabilities. A graduate of Stanford Business School, Stan received a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Stanford. He has worked for ExxonMobil in the company’s U.S. operations and in the New York headquarters of KPMG and Ernst & Young. At Ernst & Young, Mr. Polovets was responsible for establishing the company’s consulting business in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Stan also worked for the RAND Corporation, a public-policy think tank in Santa Monica, California. From 2001 to 2006, Stan served in a variety of senior executive positions at TNK and TNK-BP, Russia’s second largest private oil company. In 2002-2003, as Vice President M&A, Mr. Polovets represented TNK in negotiating a $15 billion merger with British Petroleum, the largest merger to date involving a Russian and foreign company. He was later Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff to Robert Dudley, CEO of TNK-BP. In 2006-2007, Stan served as Executive Vice President and member of the Board of URALSIB, the second largest financial conglomerate in Russia. He lives in New York, with his wife Erina and three children.
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About The Genesis Prize: The Genesis Prize is a Jewish award given to exceptional people of the Jewish people.
Mark Bullingham
Chief Executive Officer of The Football Association
Mark Bullingham is Chief Commercial & Operating Officer of the English Football Association. He joined The FA in August 2016 and leads the commercial, marketing, digital and participation functions at the organisation. These include responsibility for all revenue streams across the FA and Wembley, such as broadcast, sponsorship, licensing, hospitality, and diversified revenue streams. In his time annual revenue at the FA has risen by over £100m. He previously held the position of CEO EMEA for Fuse Sports & Entertainment, responsible for running one of the fastest growing businesses in the sector. The team had grown quickly over five years to 245 across 17 offices with an annual fee income of over €28m. The client portfolio included 10 of the top 30 global brands. Mark joined Fuse in 2011 from his position as Director of Marketing, for the America’s Cup Event Authority in San Francisco where he helped transform the global event. Mark has negotiated over $2bn of partnerships across a variety of platforms in sports, arts and music and is a qualified Level One coach involved in grassroots football.
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About The Football Association, The Football Association, The Football Association: English Football Association covering the England national teams and the Emirates FA Cup.
Greg Lawton
Co-Founder and CEO of Nodes & Links
Greg Lawton is an Astrophysicist who spent the last 7 years of his career in BAE Systems (UK). He managed large defence programmes (£100M+), advised the Board of DIrectors on International Strategy, and owned key relationships with the UK Government and MoD.
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About Nodes & Links: Nodes & Links empowers organizations across all domains to tame project complexity.
Jodie Ginsberg
Chief Executive Officer of Internews Network
Jodie Ginsberg is CEO @ Index on Censorship.
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About Internews Network: Internews Network is a non-profit news providing organization.
Simon Foster
CEO of Comexposium
Simon Foster is a 25 year veteran of the exhibitions and media industry. He joins Comexposium from UBM plc, a leading global B2B events organization, where he previously was CEO of UBM EMEA. Simon has a deep knowledge of the global events Industry, international business development, and leadership in Europe, the United States, and Asia. He notably was CEO of both UBM Americas and of UBM EMEA during his time at UBM plc. Some highlights of his time with UBM include launching and building businesses in Brazil, Turkey and Mexico, many successful acquisitions and integrations, most notably the $1bn Advanstar deal. Simon will lead the Comexposium Group strategic development and implementation across the Globe, managing existing products and teams, optimizing products’ performance, as well as overseeing new business launches and acquisitions integration. All Division Managing Directors in France and Regional CEOs in the US and in APAC will report to him. Simon will also manage HR, Business Solutions, Operations and Strategy & Integration teams.
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About Comexposium: Comexposium is an event organizer.
Jeanette Carlsson
Founder & CEO of Tech Nordic Advocates
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About newmedia2.0, Tech Nordic Advocates: Tech Nordic Advocates is Northern Europe’s largest and only pan-Nordic/Baltic tech/startup community.
Dinah Caine
CEO of Creative Skillset
Dinah is responsible for the strategic direction and overall leadership of Creative Skillset’s work. She is the organisation’s principal spokesperson and takes the overall lead on lobbying and policy matters across the UK. Dinah is a member of Creative Skillset’s Executive Team.
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About Creative Skillset: Creative Skillset is the creative industries’ sector skills council that works across film, television, fashion, games, and many more.
David Scowsill
President & CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council
Prior to joining World Travel & Tourism Council as President & CEO in November 2010, David worked for 6 years in private equity and venture capital, completing deals in technology and travel sectors. David was CEO of Opodo, pan-European online travel company from 2002 to 2004, building the business from start up to a €500mn transaction turnover, before it was sold to Amadeus. He joined the board of Hilton International in 1997 as senior VP sales, marketing and IT, leading the brand re-unification programme between the two Hilton shareholder companies.
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About World Travel & Tourism Council: World Travel & Tourism Council works to raise awareness of Travel & Tourism as one of the world’s largest industries.
Germán Bencci
Founder & CEO of CodeYourFuture
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About CodeYourFuture: CodeYourFuture is a non-profit organisation supporting refugees with the dream of becoming developers.
Pablo Ruiz
CEO & Co-founder of The PayPro
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About The PayPro: The PayPro is an online tool designed around the needs of professionals and small businesses to make payments in over 30 currencies.
Cristina Gamboa
CEO of World Green Building Council
Cristina Gamboa is the CEO of the World Green Building Council. She’s a passionate advocate for green buildings and cities as one of the most effective solutions to climate change, and as a means to deliver on social justice and other environmental goals, such as stopping biodiversity loss. She previously worked as the CEO of Colombia Green Building Council and also has expertise in the fields of economic research, journalism, and international affairs. Thanks to her active, committed, and participatory leadership and thorough knowledge of sustainable development, the Colombia GBC met significant milestones that enabled sustainability in construction to become mainstream.
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About World Green Building Council: The World Green Building Council is a non-profit organization and a coalition of national Green Building Councils.
Ivy Cavendish
CEO & Co-Founder of The Science Writing Revolution
Ivy Cavendish is the CEO and co-founder of The Science Writing Revolution.
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About The Science Writing Revolution: The Science Writing Revolution is an academic-led initiative to revolutionize scientific writing.
Daniel Ospina
Co-Founder and CEO of Conductal
Daniel is an Organization Designer. Through his company, Conductal, Daniel uses Social System Design to create incentives and processes that spark creativity and enable business agility at scale in startups and established organisations. Beyond Conductal, Daniel is a visiting lecturer on System Design at Oxford University, a Co-founder of Crossmodalism, an Associate Fellow of London University, and a Fellow of the RSA.
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About Conductal: Conductal help smaller organizations to scale and larger ones to manage communities and innovate.
Arthur Hanna
Senior Advisor & CEO of World Energy Council
Board member Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies. Visiting Professor of Energy Economics at Loughborough University. Fellow, Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines. Responsible for supporting a number of agendas focusing on the development of strategies to promote energy transition across multiple energy sources. Arthur retired from Accenture in 2016 after 26 years working in the Energy consulting sector. He was a Senior Managing Director, leading the Global Energy Strategy business. Prior to joining Accenture in 1990 he spent 10 years with BP in a variety of international roles spanning the Middle East and Europe.
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About World Energy Council: World Energy Council is a UN-accredited global energy body dedicated to delivering a sustainable energy system worldwide.
Lyndon Wood
CEO & Creator of SunZu
Many businesse’s start and then spend their time and money on doing things that everyone else is doing, assuming it must be right or why are they doing it. The fact is the masses are not maximising or generating leads and opportunities, so if you follow them you could be or are falling into the same trap. Being social all over the place is fun, and of course you may generate the odd lead or opportunity, however for the time you spend versus the return, you should question why you do it from a business and commercial point. I have Created SunZu because I too was fed up of wasting my time posting content, and more, in a hope to get noticed and create new customers. Now everyone can create landing pages, distribute content and manage leads, all in one place, on SunZu. More importantly SunZu is your tool to generate new leads and opportunities. I believe in you getting a return on time (ROT). Enjoy and make sure you use and refine everyday to maximise your benefit.
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About Cardiff University, SunZu: SunZu, the network for people doing business that lets you meet, share, learn, trade and grow with other business owners.
Simon Francis
CEO of Flock Associates
Simon has extensive experience of marketing transformation through integrated and effective marketing and communications. He has run Creative, Media, Digital & Digital Media, Branded Content, Econometric & Poster buying companies, having been CEO, EMEA for Saatchi & Saatchi, and Aegis Media, MD EMEA for OMD. He has also held senior positions at Leo Burnett, MindShare and ZenithOptimedia. Simon has enjoyed working towards transforming a number of World Class companies and brands such as Diageo, Carlsberg, Heineken, Adidas, Nike, Sony Electronics, Mobile, Music & Pictures, IBM, Apple, HSBC, Toyota, Kia, PSA, Bridgestone, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Sara Lee, Beiersdorf, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, P&G, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Emirates to name a few.
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About Flock Associates: Flock Associates provides marketing consultants with services such as Marketing Operations, Capabilities, Procurement, and Strategy.
Malcolm Corbett
Founder and CEO of Independent Networks Cooperative Association
Malcolm Corbett is the founder and CEO of the Independent Networks Co-operative Association (www.inca.coop). INCA brings together the UK’s Altnets building the next generation fibre and wireless digital infrastructure in the UK, alongside supporters in the public and private sectors.Prior to setting up INCA, Malcolm ran the Community Broadband Network, founded in 2004 to support local broadband initiatives through mentoring, advice and consultancy.Malcolm has a background in the Internet industry. He was a director of one of the first UK ISPs, Poptel, and he co-invented the .coop global Internet domain. He has also been active in social enterprise and co-operative movements in the UK and internationally. Malcolm has a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Surrey.
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About Independent Networks Cooperative Association: Independent Networks Cooperative Association is building next generation broadband.
Ned Mortimer
CEO of Ally Chatbot
Ned Mortimer is the Chief Executive Officer at Ally Chatbot.
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About Ally Chatbot: Ally Chatbot is a civic and social organization that features a software platform that utilizes artificial intelligence.
Ned Mortimer
CEO of Ally Chatbot
Ned Mortimer is the Chief Executive Officer at Ally Chatbot.
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About Ally Chatbot: Ally Chatbot is a civic and social organization that features a software platform that utilizes artificial intelligence.
Nigel Jones
CEO of Information Assurance Advisory Council
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About Information Assurance Advisory Council: The IAAC is a private sector led, cross-industry forum dedicated to promoting a safe and secure Information Society.
Richard Loat
CEO & Founder of Five Hole For Food
The intersection of creativity and disruption – that’s where you find Richard creating change. The MBA grad with a Silicon Valley upbringing is pioneering disruptive philanthropy worldwide. Richard is also a humanitarian aid worker deploying to disaster zones, an active mentor for young entrepreneurs, marathoner, and street art photographer.
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About Five Hole For Food: Five Hole For Food is organization which hosts hockey events to benefit food banks across Canada.
Dave Edwards
CEO of BACA (Baltic Air Charter Association)
Dave Edwards Having worked in the business aviation industry since he graduated with a degree in Transport Management, Dave’s career has taken him through all areas of the sector, including flight operations, ground services and maintenance into senior executive roles with leading airlines and aviation companies. Dave has a growing number of other business investment interests, mostly in aviation, including Synergy Aviation Ltd, Oaklands Global Ltd, Flying Support Ltd and Lazy River Ltd as well as being a non-exec director of Web Manuals International AB, the world’s leading aviation manuals digitizer. Alongside his own business interests, Dave is the part-time CEO of BACA – The Air Charter Association. Dave completed fifteen years with Gama Aviation plc as their Managing Director, Middle East and Asia and Group General Manager before moving to Qatar Airways’ Business Jet Division, Qatar Executive as Executive Vice President. In 2010 Dave was elected as the youngest ever Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, in addition he is a member of the Royal Air Force Club, the Royal Aero Club, the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and the Air League. When not playing with aeroplanes he continues to pretend he can play both the trumpet and golf.
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About BACA (Baltic Air Charter Association): BACA represents the interests of commercial aviation companies particularly in the aircharter industries and markets.
Birgitte Andersen
CEO and Co-Creator of Big Innovation Centre
As CEO and CoCreator of the Big Innovation Centre, Professor Birgitte Andersen (PhD Economics) is leading it as a London based open innovation and investment hub of a dozen global companies, world class universities and public organizations. She also leads the development of practical policy proposals to re-balance and grow the UK and global economy. As co-founder of the Big Innovation Centre, Birgitte brings her particular entrepreneurial skills. She combines thought leadership credentials, commercial flair, a proven entrepreneurial track record and business innovation experience. Since April 2011 she has rapidly – through a strong vision – directed and grown the Big Innovation Centre to become a building block in the innovation landscape in the UK and European Union. She is now accelerating the BIC vision with thought leaders, innovative companies and ‘what works’ innovators globally.
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About Big Innovation Centre: The Big Innovation Centre exists to help businesses, public agencies and universities put their open innovation principles into practice.
Peter Ackland
Chief Executive Officer of The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness
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About The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness: IAPB is the coordinating membership organisation leading international efforts in blindness.
Elizabeth H. Filippouli
Founder, Global Thinkers Forum/Athena40
Elizabeth H. Filippouli is a journalist, writer, and social entrepreneur. She is the Founder of London-based Global Thinkers Forum (GTF) an independent civil society agency incubated at the University of Oxford, founded under the patronage of Queen Rania of Jordan, and working through a global network of thought leaders to promote values-based decision leadership and support women and youth through mentoring programmes and other initiatives reaching more than 75 countries. Her early career in print and broadcast journalism in Greece and at CNN and Al Jazeera English, was prelude to now over a decade of activism and serial entrepreneurship.
Elizabeth has served on the Global Advisory Board of the Prince’s Trust International advising on supporting underprivileged youth through mentoring. She has studied Strategy and Innovation at Oxford’s Said Business School, Transnational Media, and Globalisation at London City University (MA) and Creative Writing at Harvard University. Her first book ‘The Invisible Reality’ was published in Greece in 2004. Her book ‘From Women to the World: Letters for a New Century’ was published by IB Tauris in July 2021.
In 2020 she co-authored with Dr Marc J. Ventresca a work on ‘Kindness in Leadership in Times of Crisis’, a publication based on international research that aspires to rethink the work of leaders.
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About Global Thinkers Forum MENA 2012: Global Thinkers Forum is a global platform that brings together a diverse network of visionary thought leaders.
