Founder and Chairman play a crucial role in any startup. It takes an extraordinary person to fulfil the Founder and Chairman role. We have selected these Founder and Chairman’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 Founder and Chairman’s. The list is in no particular order!
Anthony Pile
Founder and Chairman @ Blue Skies Holdings
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Anthony Pile is the Founder and Chairman of Blue Skies, a leading manufacturer of fresh-cut fruit, freshly squeezed juice, and dairy-free ice-cream, with eleven operations in seven countries, including Ghana, Egypt, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Senegal. Blue Skies supplies leading retailers around the world, including Waitrose and Sainsbury’s in the UK, Albert Heijn in the Netherlands and Carrefour in France. The company is built on the principle of value-adding at source. This means that Blue Skies aims to make the finished product in the countries where the fruit grows, rather than exporting only the raw material and processing it elsewhere. By doing this it believes that 75% of the value of the finished product remains in the country of origin, as opposed to only 15% if processed overseas. This approach also enables the business to deliver a better quality fruit that is delivered ‘fresh from harvest, from farm to store within as little as 36 hours. Anthony was a soldier in the British Army for 13 years and saw active service in the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Cyprus. He has been a magistrate, attended the post graduate Sloan Fellowship Programme at the London Business School and was the Managing Director of Orchard House Foods from 1989 to 1996. In 1997 he founded Blue Skies in Ghana and has grown the company over the last 20 years into a company employing over 6,000 people with a turnover of £100m.
Learn more about Anthony Pile on Crunchbase…Blue Skies Holdings produces, prepares, and markets fresh-cut fruit and fruit juices to retailers and supermarkets worldwide. Read more about Blue Skies Holdings on Crunchbase…
Stuart Marks
Founder and Chairman @ L Marks
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Stuart Marks is a successful entrepreneur who has built and sold four businesses over the past 25 years. They have spanned several sectors including CRM, location-based services and digital media. Every company applied innovation to challenge existing business models. Stuart has worked with a diverse and international customer-base including Sainsbury’s, British Airways, Unilever, Vodafone, BMW and various government agencies across the world. His previous company, ITIS Holdings plc, was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was Europe’s leading provider of real-time traffic information and connected car technology. The first company to commercialize crowdsourced data from GPS devices and mobile phone networks, Stuart sold the firm in 2011 to Washington-based INRIX before going on to establish L Marks to invest in the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
Learn more about Stuart Marks on Crunchbase… Read more about L Marks on Crunchbase…
Jonathan Feuer
Co-Founder and Chairman @ Eigen Technologies
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Read more about Eigen Technologies on Crunchbase…
Mark Hunter
Co-Founder and Chairman @ BJSS
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BJSS is an award winning delivery-focused IT Consultancy. Read more about BJSS on Crunchbase…
Alick Varma
Founder and Chairman @ Osper
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Alick Varma is the Founder and CEO at Osper, established in 2012. Osper offers a safe MasterCard prepaid debit card with a simple mobile banking app with separate logins for young people and parents. All money on Osper is safely managed by a European regulated bank. Alick previously worked at McKinsey and Spotify, and also trained to be a maths teacher.
Learn more about Alick Varma on Crunchbase…Osper is a prepaid debit card and mobile banking service empowering young people to manage their money responsibly. Read more about Osper on Crunchbase…
Sebastiaan Bruinsma
co-founder and chairman @ Nobly POS – Point of Sale
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Nobly is the point-of-sale, inventory management and CRM app for the iPad. A system that is beautiful designed, quick and easy to use. Read more about Nobly POS – Point of Sale on Crunchbase…
Lloyd Beiny
Founder and Chairman @ WENN
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WENN is a unique, independent, global news organisation, headquartered in London. Read more about WENN on Crunchbase…
Vikrant Bhargava
Co-founder and Chairman @ KF Beauty
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Vikrant Bhargava serves as Managing Partner of Veddis Ventures. Mr. Bhargava founded the firm. Previously, till 2006 he served as the Group Marketing Director of PartyGaming Plc. Mr. Bhargava headed the marketing team during PartyPOker’s explosive growth from a start-up site to one with revenues of almost a billion dollars in 2005. He left PartyGaming in early 2006 to set up Veddis Ventures. Mr. Bhargava served as a Group Marketing Director and Director at iGlobalMedia Entertainment Limited. His experience included positions as a Credit Officer at the Bank of America, responsible for managing credit exposure and revenue for a portfolio of corporate clients and a Business Analyst at British Gas in the business development division. He served as a non-executive Director at SocialGO PLC (formerly Bright Things plc) from January 12, 2010 to February 08, 2012. Mr. Bhargava attended Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (1994) and Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (1996).
Learn more about Vikrant Bhargava on Crunchbase…We identify, develop and market innovative products in the Health & Beauty sector. Read more about KF Beauty on Crunchbase…
Scott Lester
Founder and Chairman @ EyeKandy
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EyeKandy is your ‘end to end’ partner for digital asset production, point of sale marketing solutions and creative innovation. Read more about EyeKandy on Crunchbase…
Brendan McNutt
Founder and Chairman @ Bryn Melyn Care
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Bryn Melyn Care is a leading provider of therapeutic residential care, independent education, and integrated clinical services. Read more about Bryn Melyn Care on Crunchbase…
David Hitchcock
Founder and Chairman @ States Bridge Capital
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States Bridge Capital introduces private companies to capital via a listing on the stock market. Read more about States Bridge Capital on Crunchbase…
John Durham
Co-Founder and Chairman @ Moltex Energy
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An active philanthropic environmentalist, John has been focused on innovative ways of influencing UK policy to tackle climate change since his retirement from the software industry in 2005. He co-founded the Weinberg Foundation with Bryony Worthington and through the Foundation met Ian Scott. He saw the enormous potential of the Stable Salt Reactor and formed a partnership with Ian, Moltex Energy LLP, to help bring this potentially world saving technology off paper and into reality.
Learn more about John Durham on Crunchbase…Moltex Energy is developing a next generation nuclear reactor that can produce clean electricity Read more about Moltex Energy on Crunchbase…
Dauren Toleukhanov
Co-Founder and Chairman @ BrainPatch
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BrainPatch is a Neurotechnology startup disrupting the industry of non-invasive brain stimulation. Read more about BrainPatch on Crunchbase…
Aidan Heavey
Founder and Chairman @ Tullow Oil
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Mr. Aidan Heavey founded Tullow Oil plc in 1985 and has been its Non-Executive Chairman since April 26, 2017. Mr. Heavey served as Chief Executive Officer of Tullow Oil plc from 1985 to April 26, 2017. Mr. Heavey played a key role in the development of Tullow from its formation in 1985, to its current international status. With an accounting background, he worked in the airline and engineering sectors in Ireland. He serves as Executive Director of Tullow Oil plc. He serves as a Director at Traidlinks. He is a Chartered Accountant.
Learn more about Aidan Heavey on Crunchbase…Tullow Oil is an independent oil and gas, exploration and production group. Read more about Tullow Oil on Crunchbase…
Richard Wolman
Founder and Chairman @ WISTLA
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The world’s first sociable network. We’re igniting the power in every crowd. Read more about WISTLA on Crunchbase…
Tony Cotterill
Founder and Chairman @ BridgeHead Software
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Tony has worked in IT for more than 30 years with 25 of those years spent building and managing software businesses in the UK, Netherlands and USA. As the founder of BridgeHead Software in 1994, Tony continues to lead the organization globally. He previously managed the European subsidiary of Raxco Software following its merger with UIS, where he had established and led UIS’ overseas divisions to profitability. Tony’s introduction to data and storage management was as an IT Director responsible for providing IT services to the civil engineering community. It was from this experience that he saw the need for an independent software provider that would focus on the complexities in data management.
Learn more about Tony Cotterill on Crunchbase…BridgeHead Software delivers data management solutions to healthcare organizations across the globe enabling them to improve patient care. Read more about BridgeHead Software on Crunchbase…
Anthony Gahan
Founder and Chairman @ IPSX
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Anthony Gahan has some 30 years of investment banking experience including as a director of Robert Fleming & Co. Ltd, as a senior banker at Lehman Brothers and a founding partner of Wyvern, the London investment banking firm. He is currently a non-executive director of Maru Group, a technology enabled international insight services group. Anthony co-founded IPSX in 2014.
Learn more about Anthony Gahan on Crunchbase…IPSX operates the world’s first stock exchange dedicated to the IPO and trading of companies owning single commercial real estate assets. Read more about IPSX on Crunchbase…
Vedan Choolun
Founder and Chairman @ UiTV Connect
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A Global Internet Television Network Read more about UiTV Connect on Crunchbase…
Nigel Gifford
Founder and Chairman @ Windhorse Aerospace
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Nigel Gifford OBE CP Eng.(Aero) Chairman / Founder Windhorse Aerospace Nigel is best described as an eclectic solutions architect ~ drawing on skills, practical experience, and research acquired at different times of his life. It is from his aeronautical, skydiving and catering background he conceived the Pouncer(tm) food carrying AV that is also made of edible components. Presently, using his specialist knowledge in feeding in non-human environments, Nigel is working to get Pouncer(tm) into service with his team, and is working in the critical food technology area to ensure that the food cargo and edible structure are fit for purpose on deployment as first response into disaster areas Biography Brought up in a busy restaurant, and then trained as a chef at the Army School of Catering, Nigel has extensive knowledge of differing styles of cuisine. This includes feeding explorers and adventurers in remote and hostile environments, as well as cooking at 26,000ft on Mt Everest in 1976. He wrote the present Royal Geographical Society catering manual and his advice is still sought for extreme expeditions. As an aerospace solutions architect Nigel has designed equipment for UK Special Forces, and built protective equipment housings for the RAF Tornado. In 1991 he designed a special camera platform for the first ever hot air balloon flight at 33,000ft over Mt Everest and worked on Sir Richard Branson’s round the world balloon project advising on the small capsule’s internal ergonomic layout, feeding, and the living routines for the crew confined inside. Prior to Windhorse, he was Managing Director of the Ascenta™ – The high-altitude, long-endurance, unmanned aerial vehicle acquired by Facebook in 2014 to provide Internet access into the developing world. The aircraft has since been renamed Aquila by Facebook.
Learn more about Nigel Gifford on Crunchbase…Windhorse Aerospace has created the world’s first purpose-built UAV/Drone intended for humanitarian aid delivery – POUNCER. Read more about Windhorse Aerospace on Crunchbase…
Andrew Weeber
Founder and Chairman @ Gusbourne
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Gusbourne is England’s most prestigious boutique wine producer. Read more about Gusbourne on Crunchbase…
Adil Abrar
Founder and Chairman @ Mastered
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Launching and accelerating the careers of creators since 2015 Read more about Mastered on Crunchbase…
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