Managing Director and Founder play a crucial role in any startup. It takes an extraordinary person to fulfil the Managing Director and Founder role. We have selected these Managing Director and Founder’s for this list as they are inspiring for a variety of reasons – whether that’s pushing boundaries, creating groundbreaking products, or doing their bit to save the world.
Our analysts did their best to select be best, and most innovative Managing Director and Founder’s. The list is in no particular order!
Edward Hollands
Managing Director and Founder @ DrivenMedia
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Ed Hollands is the 23-year- old entrepreneur behind DrivenMedia, the Derby-based advertising agency which creates mobile billboards on commercial trailers for brands, organisations and businesses. Originally from Hertfordshire, Ed graduated from the University of Derby in 2016 with a first-class honours degree in Business Studies and was always ambitious to create his own company. Today DrivenMedia offers companies, brands and organisations the opportunity to advertise on the sides and backs of lorries, trucks and vans as they travel the world delivering goods and services. Ed got the idea of mobile billboards on an early morning walk when he saw traffic – including several large, plain lorries – queuing at a busy roundabout as rush hour traffic began to build. He realised the scope for offering companies a different type of marketing opportunity was huge. Ed grew up in a village called Pitstone near Tring in Hertfordshire with his parents Angela & Graham and his younger brother Will. His mum works for local hospice charity and Graham works for HP. Will is currently studying music at university. It was in primary school (Brookmead Primary School) that the seeds of entrepreneurship were sown when Ed declared he wanted to run a pub called The Happy Inn. He also saw his father being away from his family due to working overseas and felt that he wanted to have some choices around work when he got older. Later when at secondary school in Tring he earned money by carrying bags for small change to the form room. His determination to run his own business became stronger just before selecting his GCSE choices as he already knew he wanted to be the master of his own fate financially. This dictated the subjects he chose at both GCSE and A level. Ed chose to study for his degree at the University of Derby as he felt the campus and the teaching staff had the right ethos around business. Once there he also joined the Business and Entrepreneurship Society and began to be inspired by those who had already walked the walk in business. It was during this time he met Graham Mulholland, a leading local entrepreneur who became his mentor alongside lecturer and friend Bev Crighton Senior Lecturer/Programme Leader BA HRM As part of his studies, he did explore the idea of creating digital billboards on A38 right next to the university. He also set up his own business in the summer of his first year at university but the idea didn’t work mainly because he had not appreciated the important role played by marketing and advertising. It was an early lesson learned. At home, Ed lives with his fiancé Tara and they are childhood sweethearts who met at Scout Camp more than five years ago. Tara is a teaching assistant at a school in Nottingham and also is also an Ofsted-registered nanny currently studying for her level 3 NVQ in childcare. Ed is also a keen dodgeball player and qualified referee. While at university he played for the university team, The Derby Seahawks, and now plays for the Nottingham Sheriffs alongside being an referee. He plays twice a month during the season and referees weekly.
Learn more about Edward Hollands on Crunchbase…The UK’s major road network is one of the most densely populated highways in the world. Read more aboutDrivenMedia on Crunchbase…
Marcus Pinto
Director and founder @ MDSec
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MDSec specializes in online Web Application Security training and technical Security Consulting. Read more aboutMDSec on Crunchbase…
Vibhor Gupta
Director and Founder @ Pangaea Data
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Vibhor is an entrepreneur in residence at Nexgen Capital Ventures where he is involved in deal flow and leading creative technological opportunties within Life Sciences following his breadth of experience in industry and academia over the last 16 years. Prior to this role, Vibhor has served in various positions ranging from technical bioinformatics roles, sales (of software technology products) and executive management. Vibhor started and built the European business for Quantum Secure, which was an enterprise software solutions provider and was successfully acquired in 2015. Most recently he served as a Senior Vice President at Seven Bridges Genomics which provides cloud (SaaS) based bioinformatics solutions for the Life Sciences industry. Vibhor has also worked as a management and technology consultant for Deloitte. His academic career focused on bioinformatics, epigenetics and molecular biology studies in oncology and infectious diseases. Vibhor has access to an extensive network in the industry and was recently honoured as an advisor to two prominent organisations, HealthEx and FrontLine Genomics. He was also a Technology Lead on ASIS’s UK committee, which is the largest professional body for CSOs and CISOs in the world.
Learn more about Vibhor Gupta on Crunchbase…Pangaea Data provides a machine learning-based software solution making scientific and clinical data more meaningful. Read more aboutPangaea Data on Crunchbase…
Andrew Bontoft
Director and Founder @ Foregenix
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Foregenix prevents, protects, investigates, and solves serious cyberthreats for large enterprises and SMEs all around the globe. Read more aboutForegenix on Crunchbase…
Max Dubiel
Director and Founder @ Redemption Roasters
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Redemption Roasters is a specialty coffee company. Read more aboutRedemption Roasters on Crunchbase…
Merric Mercer
Director and Founder @ Hive Online
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Hive are enabling global FMCG manufacturers to influence consumer behaviour Read more aboutHive Online on Crunchbase…
Colin Gray
Managing Director and Founder @ The Podcast Host ltd.
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The Podcast Host aims to help any business get their word, their personality & their brand out to a larger audience, all through podcasting. Read more aboutThe Podcast Host ltd. on Crunchbase…
David Johnstone
Managing Director and Founder @ After Digital
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Digital Agency in London and Glasgow Read more aboutAfter Digital on Crunchbase…
Frank Beutelschiess
Director and Founder @ Social CRM Squad Ltd
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Laser-focused on Enterprise Data extraction and CRM mobilization. Read more aboutSocial CRM Squad Ltd on Crunchbase…
Matthew Kirkham
Director and Founder @ Silicon Markets
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Silicon Markets offers Forex and CFD tradings service to their clients. Read more aboutSilicon Markets on Crunchbase…
Paul Rigby
Board Director and Founder @ Consortiq
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Consortiq is a global market leader of bespoke drone solutions. Read more aboutConsortiq on Crunchbase…
Chris Mackie
Director and Founder @ 205 Media LTD
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205 Media is a creative agency that offers a range of personalized services to its clients. Read more about205 Media LTD on Crunchbase…
Zuka Kakabadze
Director and Founder @ Fugo
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Fugo is a digital signage content management software Read more aboutFugo on Crunchbase…
Mathew Symmonds
Director and Founder @ Web Analysis Solutions Limited
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Mathew Symmonds is the founder of Web Analysis Solutions Limited, who operate two of the largest football data and statistics websites in the industry in WinDrawWin.com and PredictZ.com. Mathew has been an affiliate since 2003 and Web Analysis Solutions’ websites now attract more than 100 million visits per year. Seventy-five percent of Web Analysis Solutions’ traffic now originates from Africa and the company is therefore one of the few affiliates in the industry to have monetised this region well, becoming the largest online affiliate in Kenya. Web Analysis Solutions’ success in Africa has lead them to launch a joint partnership -SportKenya.co.ke, which is a virtual gaming product specifically targeted to the Kenyan market.
Learn more about Mathew Symmonds on Crunchbase…Web Analysis Solutions Limited operates two of the largest football predictions, tips, and statistics websites. Read more aboutWeb Analysis Solutions Limited on Crunchbase…
Mukhtar Sanders
Creative Director and Founder @ Inspiral Design
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Inspiral Design is an agency that combines contemporary craft-based British design, language, and culture. Read more aboutInspiral Design on Crunchbase…
Daniel Yates
Managing Director and Founder @ Pitchup.com
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Making it a doddle to book campsites in 65 countries. Member of Financial Times FT1000 fastest-growing companies in Europe 2018/19/20. Read more aboutPitchup.com on Crunchbase…
Doug Winter
Director and Founder @ Isotoma
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Doug Winter is a consultant, manager, engineer and architect and has over 20 years experience designing and building things on the Internet. For the last 14 years he has worked for customers from startups to global media giants with his company Isotoma, in the north of England. Doug can be heard regularly speaking at Digital North in Manchester and Leeds. Amongst other things, Doug has been a startup CTO and run the engineering team for Europe’s largest website.
Learn more about Doug Winter on Crunchbase…Bespoke software developers specialising in getting startups started. Read more aboutIsotoma on Crunchbase…
Tony Fairhurst
Managing Director and Founder @ Wallsauce.com
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Wallsauce.com are here to deliver bespoke wall murals to help transform your living space or workplace. Read more aboutWallsauce.com on Crunchbase…
Gary Muirhead
CEO, Director and Founder @ Ixchelsis
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Gary MuirheadGary graduated in Applied Biology from Cardiff University in 1979 and then trained and was employed as a Clinical Biochemist at the University Hospital of Wales and Surrey County Hospital through to 1986. Gary then joined Roche as a Team Leader and Senior Scientist, Pharmacokinetics/Drug Metabolism. In 1993 Gary joined the Pfizer Clinical Pharmacology group in Sandwich and held positions of increasing responsibility over the subsequent 14 years. As well as managing the Clinical Pharmacologists and providing strategic leadership in the GI, GU/Sex Health and Anti-viral therapeutic areas, Gary was also the Global Clinical Pharmacology lead for a number of successful drugs including Viagra, Celsentry®, and Geodon®. Gary also acted as Early Clinical Leader for a number of GU/Sex Health projects during this period. In 2006 Gary was appointed Sandwich Site Head for Clinical Research Operations and successfully built a group responsible for the operational delivery of exploratory development, clinical pharmacology and clinical technology clinical studies. In June 2009 Gary was appointed to the position of Vice President, Clinical Affairs Site Head for Specialty Care in Sandwich. In this position Gary managed the clinicians, statisticians and clinical pharmacologists, ensuring the provision of quality resources to the Asset Teams. Gary is now Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ixchelsis Ltd a Pfizer Sandwich Start-up focusing on developing drugs in Men’s Health indications.
Learn more about Gary Muirhead on Crunchbase…Ixchelsis develops an oxytocin receptor antagonist for the treatment of premature ejaculation. Read more aboutIxchelsis on Crunchbase…
Stephanie Davies
Director and Founder, CEO @ Laughology
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Stephanie has over 12 years experience working in the public and private sector which has gained her an unsurpassed reputation for designing and delivering interventions for teams in various settings. Stephanie is recognised as one of the UK’s leading voices in happiness humour and laughter. In past 12 years Stephanie has worked on projects and events developing everything from creating happy spaces and environments in schools and health settings to motivating and inspiring individuals and teams in large blue chip organisations as well as working on government initiatives to promote positive, happy lives and work. The unique approach of Laughology founded and developed by Stephanie Davies looks at how individuals can be resilient human beings and live lives that flourish and are happy and healthy. Stephanie’s unique combination as an award winning stand-up comedian and her expertise and knowledge in psychology and business makes her one of the most sought after speakers on the business and after-dinner circuit. She also uses her knowledge to provide consultancy and training programmes for some of the top exec teams in the country, working with well-known blue chip organisations and government parties. The success of Laughology is directly attributed to Stephanie, her hard work and vision. Yes Stephanie is outrageously happy most of the time, if not a little mad, so say her close friends and family. She loves performing stand –up which means she frequents dark bars with other mad groups of people where she feels strangely at home. Qualifications include: An M.A in The psychology of humour and laughter for personal growth; Dip1 CBT, Health psychology and Analytical psychotherapy B.A Hons in Community Arts; Advanced Skills in Creative business and Cognition, JMU; Graduate of The Health Care Intensive Programme, with Patch Adams MD USA; Graduate of Dr Madan Kataria’s Laughter Techniques Programme; NLP Practitioners Diploma; and is qualified in cognitive behavioural psychology and health psychology. On top of her busy schedule, Stephanie is often asked to contribute to popular television programmes, such as Trisha, The Bank of Mum and Dad, BBC’s Heaven & Earth and ITV’s Stand-up Jenny. She is also a regular on BBC Radio. Her book Laughology, the science of laughter to improve your life has received excellent reviews on Amazon, The Guardian book sight and Watkins book review.
Learn more about Stephanie Davies on Crunchbase…Laughology encourages positive engagement, organisational development, health & well being and productivity. Read more aboutLaughology on Crunchbase…
Jay Chinnadorai
Managing Director and Founder @ Sumtotal
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Sumtotal is a strategy, product and business development consultancy with a proven track record of delivering pragmatic. Read more aboutSumtotal on Crunchbase…
Colin Williams
Managing Director and Founder @ Sixteen South
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We are dedicated to the development, creation and production of original premium children’s television for national and international Read more aboutSixteen South on Crunchbase…
Vivien Badaut
Director and founder @ DRIAD
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Born in France and raised in the suburbs of Paris, Vivien studied chemistry at the University Paris XI, graduating with an MSc in Nuclear Chemistry in 2006. He then joined the French Nuclear Agency (CEA) as a postgraduate researcher and obtained a PhD in Chemistry on the topic of nuclear waste storage in 2010. Vivien then joined the RIKEN research institute in Tokyo (Japan) as a postdoctoral researcher working on quantum modelling until 2012; he was also President of the French-speaking Association of Researchers in Japan, Sciencescope. In 2013, back in France, he started working with startups as a technical expert advising on innovation projects. He subsequently moved to the UK, where he founded up DRIAD in June 2014.
Learn more about Vivien Badaut on Crunchbase…DRIAD is an international innovation consultancy that specializes in grant funding for R&D projects. Read more aboutDRIAD on Crunchbase…
Andy Theyers
Director and Founder @ Isotoma
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Bespoke software developers specialising in getting startups started. Read more aboutIsotoma on Crunchbase…
Charlie Lines
Events Director and Founder @ The Ecommerce Club
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Charlie Lines is the director and founder at Mixing Digital and The Ecommerce Club. She used to work as a freelance Marketing & Sales manager for CleanTech magazine. Charlie is a graduate of Thomas Bennett Community College & Crawley College of Technology.
Learn more about Charlie Lines on Crunchbase…The Ecommerce Club is a member-led group dedicated to encouraging and supporting retailers in developing e-commerce expertise. Read more aboutThe Ecommerce Club on Crunchbase…
Samantha Cameron
Creative Director and Founder @ Cefinn
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Cefinn is Contemporary designer womenswear by Samantha Cameron Read more aboutCefinn on Crunchbase…
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David Friedland
