These prestigious annual awards shine a light on the most dynamic, influential and effective leaders in the UK who are at the top of their game and have made a positive impact on society.
The eagerly awaited moment has finally arrived, and after much deliberation over many weeks by an independent panel of 11 esteemed judges from diverse background the names have now been made public on Top100influentialpeople.com.
About the winners
The distinguished winners of the Top100 Influential People 2025 come from a variety of sectors and all walks of life, and are leading entrepreneurs, business leaders, activists, entertainers, doctors, scientists, sportspeople or leaders in the charity sector. Some are well-known and many are unsung heroes much deserving of recognition.
Dana Denis-Smith is a brilliant example of an individual who has transformed the legal landscape for women in the UK. Realising that the rigid legal structure disadvantaged women, she founded Obelisk Support in 2010. Her innovative business model revolutionised legal talent acquisition by offering flexible, cost-effective legal services, enabling skilled female lawyers to work remotely.
Born in Romania, she taught herself English as a teenager and won a scholarship to continue her education in England.
In another example, Dr Selva Pankaj, co-founder and CEO of the Regent Group, came to the UK aged 19 as a refugee after fleeing civil war in Sri Lanka. He now runs a global business that operates in education, impactful investment and economy building.Sir William Browder, too, is a remarkable winner, who has campaigned relentless for human rights and against corruption. When his colleague Sergei Magnitsky was murdered in Russia in 2009, he campaigned for the US Congress to introduce the Magnitsky Act, which allows US authorities to impose sanctions on Russians involved in human rights abuses. Today, the EU, the UK, Canada and Australia all have similar legislation.
Many are technology pioneers, such as Simon Asplen-Taylor. He is a data and artificial intelligence innovator, who was the first known Chief Data Officer in the UK and the author of Data and Analytics Strategy for Business, an Amazon No.1 bestseller.
You can find out more about the award winners 2025 in the examples below from each of the categories.
And the winners are:
Business & Entrepreneurism
Alan Chang, founder and CEO of Fuse Energy, is revolutionising the energy sector through the creation of a full-stack renewable energy company to speed up the global transition to renewable energy.
Diversity & Inclusion
Laks Mann MBE is an award-winning equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) champion, who was appointed by the Mayor of London, to service as an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisor to City Hall with a focus on race, LGBTQ+, faith, class and youth.
Environmental Sustainability
Mr Ranjit Baxi is a global expert, entrepreneur and campaigner in the recycling industry. He founded Global Recycling Day in 2017, has run recycling businesses for more than 45 years and led many professional bodies. To promote his cause, Baxi travels all over the world at his own expense to galvanise support for his campaigns against climate change.
Human Rights
Professor Leslie Thomas KC is a renowned barrister, law professor and specialist in civil liberties, human rights and police and inquest law. With over 30 years of legal experience, he has earned a reputation as a leading advocate for justice, representing families in numerous high-profile cases involving state or corporate abuses of power.
His extensive practice includes landmark inquests such as those for the Hillsborough families, Sean Rigg, Mark Duggan, Smiley Culture, Anthony Grainger and the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Philanthropy
Joe Calder is a philanthropist, charity fund-raiser and leading tech innovator in Silicon Valley with strong links to Britain. Running alongside his stellar career at the forefront of technological innovation for some of the world’s biggest tech companies is his deep commitment to philanthropy and giving back to society. His charity and philanthropic interests range from conservation, the arts, health, science and technology, heritage and encouraging entrepreneurship.
Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance
Todd Fields is a distinguished leader who launched Boeing’s first corporate sustainability organisation and positioned the company at the forefront of sustainable aviation innovation. Fields initiated the ecoDemonstrator programme (taking promising technologies out of laboratories and testing them in an operational environment) and promoted Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
Health & Social Care
Professor Martin Green OBE is the CEO of Care England, the largest representative body for independent social care services in England. Working on behalf of small, medium and large providers, Care England speaks with a single voice for both members and the whole care sector.
His other prominent roles include, including Chair of the International Longevity Centre, Trustee of the National Centre for Creative Health, Vice President of The Care Workers Charity, Champion of The National Aids Trust and Commissioner of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.”
Science & Technology (including Frontier Tech)
Dana Morris is a dynamic and visionary leader in frontier technology. Through her company Dearborn Consulting, she heads large teams engaged intransformation projects. Her experience in the private sector includes designing and implementing major projects for a large entertainment corporation and an international market intelligence provider. Transformations she has introduced have produced savings of billions of pounds while increasing efficiency.
Education
Professor Christine Cunliffe is a pioneer in medicine who has created new pathways for many thousands of people to enter the healing professions with recognised qualifications. She was the founding Dean of the School of Health at BPP University and established the university’s nursing, post-graduate nursing, dentistry and psychology programmes.
She led the School of Health to become the first private sector training provider to secure a contract to supply the NHS with thousands of trained nurses.
Culture, Arts, Media & Entertainment, Sport
Howard Kosky is known as the king of broadcast PR. He co-founded the agency Markettiers in 1994 with the aim of securing media coverage on radio and TV for clients, not adverts but free editorial publicity. He has been remarkably successful with an enviable client list that includes government departments, large corporations, SMEs and charities.
Today he has seven companies, branded under the AFO Group, which employs 250 people.
Reactions from the winners
These are just some of the Top 100 Influential People 2025 on the list. You can see the full list on the Top 100 Influential People 2025 website. What do you think? Who impressed you the most? If you had to vote for your favourite winner, who would it be? Please let us know if you have any other comments on any of the winners.
Being included on this exclusive list is a huge privilege, giving the honourees public recognition and a massive boost to their credibility. It can be a shock as well! Here are some of the comments received from some of our remarkable winners
“What wonderful news and an absolute privilege to be included.”
Simon Hood
“That is amazing! I am very honoured to be named one of the Top 100 Influential People 2025 Honouree!”
Nathan Downie
“Thank you for sharing the fantastic news! I’m truly honoured to be recognised among the UK’s most influential people for 2025.”
Katie Litchfield
The dynamic pioneers shaping the future
The Top 100 Influential People 2025 are the leaders, innovators and catalysts for social change who are shaping the future of the UK. Operating in vital growth sectors such as emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, healthcare, building and renewable energy, they are the powerhouse behind the growth and prosperity of the UK and epitomise the spirit of 2025.