David MacDonald, CEO and owner of Cullen Packaging, and Jitha Singh, managing director at CBS Packaging Group, were both featured on this year’s list – created by LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group, and supported by The Times – which was published yesterday (19 October).
The LDC Top 50 champions the business leaders who are pushing for growth and building successful businesses.
MacDonald’s inclusion on the list was due to his contribution to the sustainable packaging movement. On a mission to replace single-use plastic packaging, the company’s products include the patented ‘Fibre Bottle’ innovation.
This is a plastic bottle replacement made from natural, renewable materials of which 270 million units per year can be made in Cullen Packaging’s Glasgow-based manufacturing facility. The business has produced over 1.2 billion plastic free products in the last 18 months.
MacDonald said: “I’m honoured to have my work leading the Cullen business recognised in this way.
“Climate change and the growing challenge of single-use plastic waste are intrinsically linked, but my team and I are passionate about providing solutions to the problem. Sustainability is my whole focus and reason for being.”
Cullen Packaging has also achieved recent double-digit growth and invested £15m in a new innovation and design hub as well as an additional factory at its site.
Cullen Packaging supplies 35 countries globally and has products in 98% of the NHS. It also serves all major supermarkets, high street coffee chains, and some of the world’s biggest retailers.
CBS Packaging Group, meanwhile, is a fully integrated corrugated packaging manufacturer based in the West Midlands, with plants in West Bromwich and Benfleet, Essex.
When Jitha Singh and his four brothers started the business in 1996, they had no industry experience.
“Some of our rivals laughed at us, and they said we wouldn’t survive. Last year, the business turned over £40m,” Singh said.
He learned persistence and dedication from his father, who was also an entrepreneur and who “came to the UK with nothing and built his fortune”, according to Singh.
On his inclusion in The LDC Top 50, Singh commented: “Leadership is a collective journey. This award is a shining testament to the relentless hard work, dedication, and vision that each and every member of our team has contributed over the past 27 years. We share this accolade as a family united in purpose and passion.”
John Garner, managing partner at LDC, said: “We started The LDC Top 50 six years ago to champion the remarkable success stories of the unsung heroes of the British economy.
“Since then, we’ve received more than 3,000 nominations and celebrated more than 500 business leaders through the programme, surpassing all our expectations.
“Every leader in this year’s cohort has a story as impressive as the next, and I’d like to congratulate them on their achievements so far. We can’t wait to see where they go from here!”
