Martin Rae named Most Ambitious Business Leader of 2022
Martin Rae, CEO of leading hair and beauty brand, CLOUD NINE has been named by LDC as The Most Ambitious Business Leader of 2022.
The programme, which is supported by The Times and now in its fifth year, celebrates the inspiring leaders behind some of the UK’s most successful and fast-growing medium-sized firms.
The accolades were given out after an intense judging session, during which this year’s judging panel of Carl Castledine, CEO of Away Resorts; Jan Steele, Founder of Only the Brave Health; Nisha Katona MBE, Founder of Mowgli Street Food; John Garner, Managing Partner of LDC; and Kate Bassett, Editor of The Top 50 2022 selected the final award winners.
CLOUD NINE was established in 2009, with the promise to provide industry leading hair and beauty products for consumers, enabling them to feel beautiful in their own skin and helping them be kinder to their hair. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength, not just in the UK, but also globally – with its turnover now standing at £36m.
The judges commended Martin for his innovative and sustainable approach to business. His haircare tools are fast becoming a consumer favourite and he is continuing to bring unique products to market. Not only this, but Martin has launched a recycling service that has the potential to save millions of hair tools from landfill. CLOUD NINE now sells its products worldwide, with Martin’s goal being to build the biggest electrical haircare brand in the world.
Here’s what Martin has to say about this incredible achievement: “To be named as the Most Ambitious Business Leader of 2022 is a huge honour. It is also recognition of the efforts of the full team of people at CLOUD NINE. It might be my name on the list, but it is not just me who has achieved such success.
“We are a family business and I like to think of the wider team as one big family that operates successfully due to the culture we have created. Long may that continue in the future.
“I would also like to acknowledge the support of our suppliers and customers – without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
John Garner, Managing Partner, LDC, added: “We’re proud to announce that our Most Ambitious Business Leader for 2022 is Martin Rae, CEO of CLOUD NINE. Martin has built a fast-growing brand that is having a positive impact on the haircare industry whilst steadily becoming a household name, and I’d like to applaud him on this success.
“Those featured in The Top 50 this year are a real source of inspiration; they prove that great things can be achieved even when times get tough. Having backed the ambitions of British businesses for more than 40 years, we know just how important it is to celebrate the people who are driving companies forward, generating growth and creating jobs.
“I’d like to congratulate all of The Top 50 for 2022, especially our award winners! They demonstrate the positive impact of ambition and show exactly what British business leaders are made of.”
You can find out more information on this year’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme here: https://bit.ly/3EiQ6V9
