We’re delighted to announce that our Chairman, Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, has been named as one of The LDC’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders for 2021.
The programme, which is supported by The Times and now in its fourth year, celebrates the inspiring leaders behind some of the UK’s most successful and fast-growing firms.
The featured Top 50 were selected from over 600 applications from every corner of the country and operate across a diverse range of sectors. Collectively, they employ more than 9,500 people and contribute more than £1.2bn to the UK economy.
Dr Kotecha’s business, Morningside Pharmaceuticals based in Loughborough, manufactures and supplies generic medicines to the UK and international export markets.
Morningside was established from a home garage in the 1990s, and is now one of the UK’s leading suppliers of a wide range of quality medicines to international Aid organisations, NGOs and charities, having exported to more than 120 countries since inception.
Through focussing on innovation, continuous improvement and making significant investment in Research & Development, Morningside has developed new ways for patients to take their medicines, designed to make their lives easier.
Today, the business has over 240 generic and branded licenced medicines in the UK and EU, which are delivered twice daily to UK pharmacies and hospitals, as well as save the NHS millions of pounds each year.
Dr Kotecha said: “It is a great privilege and an honour to make this national list alongside so many talented business leaders and entrepreneurs. One of my passions is working with young entrepreneurs to help them develop the necessary skills and experience to create the success stories of tomorrow. I hope my story and experiences can inspire and encourage others to try new things and follow their entrepreneurial dreams.”
As well as being a successful entrepreneur, influencer and business leader, Dr Kotecha now focusses much of his time and expertise to philanthropy, which led to the establishment of the Randal Charitable Foundation with his wife Moni in 2017.
The charity has a mission to directly save lives and significantly improve the lives of people in the UK and globally, and has already saved over 145,000 people by providing grant funding to a wide-range of charities working directly with communities on the ground.
Dr Kotecha added: “I’m immensely proud of the Foundation’s work, both in the UK and globally, which has made a big difference to hundreds of thousands of lives, which may well have been lost or significantly disadvantaged without the Foundation’s support. I hope my inclusion in the LDC’s list also recognises the importance of giving back to communities and society as a whole.”
LDC’s John Garner added: “The last 18 months have presented challenges that none of us could have foreseen, but despite everything, it’s fantastic to see that so many business leaders have achieved remarkable things. Through their resourcefulness and resilience, this year’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Leaders prove that the flame of ambition is hard to extinguish. Congratulations to all those featured and we look forward to seeing their continued success and impact, and contribution the broader UK economy.”
You can find out more information on this year’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme here.