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 United Kingdom based Director operating in the Small and Medium Businesses space. If you think a Director 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.
Kim Goetzke
Operations Director of Growth Street
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About Growth Street: Growth Street is fast, flexible overdrafts for growing businesses.
Mark Williams
Risk Director of Growth Street
Mark Williams serves as risk director at Growth Street.
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About Growth Street: Growth Street is fast, flexible overdrafts for growing businesses.
Sam James
Managing Director of Hassle.com
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About Hassle.com: Hassle.com is an online marketplace that matches busy people with local, trusted cleaners.
Colin Goldstein
Commercial Growth Director of iwoca
Colin is currently the Head of Partnerships at iwoca, the award-winning alternative lender. He is responsible for growing iwoca’s loan book through partnerships, and oversees collaborations with the likes of NatWest/RBS, Tide, Xero and Funding Options. He is also responsible for sales through commercial finance brokers and accountant referrals. Prior to joining iwoca, Colin was the Commercial & Product Director, at Redbus Media Group, a specialist media owner, where he was responsible for partnerships with Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s. Colin started his career as a strategy consultant at Accenture and has also worked in commercial roles at Littlewoods Gaming and betfair.
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About iwoca: Iwoca offers credit financing services for small businesses.
Angus Neil
Group Finance Director of Zynstra
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About Technology Venture Partners, Zynstra: Zynstra is transforming edge computing at the retail edge.
Natalie Keightley
Senior Director Global Solutions Marketing of Avaya
Natalie Keightley is the Senior Director Global Solutions Marketing at Avaya.
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About Avaya, Avaya: Avaya provides business communications and collaboration systems, applications and services.
Ravi Anand
Managing Director of ThinCats
Ravi’s involvement in a range of financial markets and businesses ensures ThinCats occupies an increasingly unique position in the SME funding landscape -not just another alternative lender. Ravi has more than 30 years of financial services experience. He has created businesses and led numerous corporate transactions, in senior roles at boutique investment bank, Dexion Capital, start up to growth asset manager, New Star, and with traditional big company experience from HSBC Investment Bank, Flemings and KPMG.
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About ThinCats: ThinCats is an alternative finance provider dedicated to funding growing and ambitious mid-sized SMEs across the UK.
Dave Sherrington
Director, Regional Business Development of ThinCats
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About ThinCats: ThinCats is an alternative finance provider dedicated to funding growing and ambitious mid-sized SMEs across the UK.
Goolshun S Belut
Managing Director of Smplicity
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About Smplicity: Smplicity is a London based salesforce partner that focuses on improving business performance with Salesforce
Ruth Chamberlain
Co-Founder and Marketing Director of Investly
Co-founder and MD at Investly.Recent successful exit from OnTrees, previously business planning @ dmg media & Bauer Media Group
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About Investly: Investly is provide an invoice finance platform that lets you easily upload invoices.
Clare Guinness
Innovation District Director of Innovation City Belfast
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About Innovation City Belfast: Innovation City Belfast is a city partnership of small and medium enterprises, researchers, corporations, and start-ups.
Becky Sage
Director of Acceleration of EDUCATE Ventures Research
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About EDUCATE Ventures Research: Educate serves as a catalyst for the development of EdTech products and services that are supported by facts.
Bryony Worthington
Co Director of Quadrature Capital
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About Quadrature Capital, Sandbag, Weinberg Foundation: Quadrature Capital is a small tech business run by programmers.
Neelendra Nath
Director of Innovitas
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About : Innovitas is an innovation intelligence and design company based in London.
Dave Pogson
Independent Business Consultant, Mentor and Non-Executive Director of Arlians
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About : Arlians is a Free B2B marketplace for small and medium businesses of any industries across the world. Find suppliers, customers and partners
Dave Pogson
Independent Business Consultant, Mentor and Non-Executive Director of Arlians
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About : Arlians is a Free B2B marketplace for small and medium businesses of any industries across the world. Find suppliers, customers and partners
Hamlesh Motah
Director of Norilo
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About Norilo: Norilo engages in cloud computing and managed services focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises.
Russell Cosway
Director of Gydeline
I have worked in and for Local Government ICT for over 30 years in senior roles such as Head of Service, Programme Manager, Service Delivery Manager. My breadth of knowledge and experience is based on having worked at all levels, having been an operator, programmer, analyst, engineer, project manager and information security manager. Having transferred to the private sector in 2013, I remain passionate about public services and the power of collective action. With skills in Business & Service Management (ITIL), Business Architecture, Risk, Portfolio, Programme & Project Management I can deliver a wide range of outcomes and roles. Finally, add to that a keen desire to develop Information Age Talent in organisations, I also like to use my coaching and mentoring skills in bringing the best out in the teams with which I work.
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About : Sustainability and Social Responsibility Consulting
George Freeland
Non-Executive Director of Trendzer
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About Trendzer: Trendzer is a managed business websites platform for small businesses.
Callum Ferguson
Director of Sonic Funding Partners
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About Sonic Funding Partners: Sonic Funding Partners provides businesses, landlords, and developers with short and medium-term funding solutions.
Hugh Scantlebury
Founder & Director of Aqilla
From roots firmly established in the IT revolution of the 1980s working for Kewill Systems plc, Hugh Scantlebury went on to join Systems Union in 1992. As EMEA Channel Sales Director he led a team managing a £30 million market which generated in excess of £11 million pounds worth of net revenue from channels selling integrated financial and business solutions in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. At Sage, working as General Manager for the Corporate and European Division, he launched two new business initiatives focusing on OLAP and e-Business development services. In 2002 Hugh took up the role of managing director for a 3i-backed business, Foundation Systems, which specialised in the supply, implementation and support of integrated financial and business management. This business became a wholly owned subsidiary of Systems Union Group in December 2003, which in turn was subsequently acquired by Infor, a US$2.1 billion corporation backed by Golden Gate Capital in 2006.
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About Aqilla: Aqilla is the developer of web-based accounting solutions designed for medium-sized businesses and organisations.
Colin Christianson
Director & Chief Product Architect of Aqilla
His early career was spent working for Smiths Industries where he was responsible for the implementation of a variety of mainframe and mini-computer systems covering manufacturing, distribution, accounting, and payroll. After a spell as a senior consultant with Hoskyns, Colin joined Systems Union as a founding member and director of R&D, leading the development of SunSystems, the mid-market accounting systems leader, from its early inception in the early eighties. In 1999, Colin recognised that solutions based on emerging web technologies offered an exciting new opportunity and left to setup ncSoft to develop a set of web based applications covering time recording, expense management, and procurement. In 2004, Infor (Systems Union) purchased ncSoft and now offers these products as part of their SunSystems procurement and productivity portfolio of products.
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About Aqilla: Aqilla is the developer of web-based accounting solutions designed for medium-sized businesses and organisations.
James Allsup
Director of EcommerceHQ Limited
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About : EcommerceHQ, creators of the most popular module on OpenCart OpenBay Pro. Specialists in OpenCart Hosting and OpenCart Development projects.
Pierre Coombes
Founder / UK Managing Director of Big Wolf Marketing
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About Big Wolf Marketing, Big Wolf Marketing, Callgro: B2B Telemarketing Agency
Joe Kim
Managing Director/Partner of UPIN Fund Management
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About UPIN Fund Management, XnTree: UPIN is an investment and management consulting firm that helps to optimize its clients’ business solutions and meet its goals.
Bob Teasdale
Managing Director of MyHRToolkit
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About MyHRToolkit: MyHRToolkit is an HR software package specifically designed for small and medium sized (SME) businesses.
Guy Rothwell
Director, Waverley Learning of Twenty Something London
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About : We recommend the best independent places and events in London, and provide small businesses with a platform to advertise affordably.
Guy Rothwell
Director, Waverley Learning of Twenty Something London
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About : We recommend the best independent places and events in London, and provide small businesses with a platform to advertise affordably.
