The chief executive of global sustainability consultancy Anthesis, Stuart McLachlan, has been named as one of the UK’s most ambitious business leaders in this year’s LDC Top 50 competition.
The annual listing by LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group is published in the Daily Telegraph. It shines a light on exceptional entrepreneurs at fast-growing small and mid-sized businesses across the UK. As well as celebrating the top 50, it also highlights a list of “ones to watch” that showcases the dynamic and ambitious leaders behind tomorrow’s mid-sized firms, with Stuart McLachlan receiving the ‘highly commended’ accolade.
Andy Grove, head of new business at LDC, said: “Stuart has built an extraordinary business that is helping to ensure sustainability is at the heart of corporate strategy, which has never been more important than now. Anthesis Group is set for great things, and we look forward to watching the business go from strength-to-strength in the coming years.”
Anthesis CEO, Stuart McLachlan, said: “I’m honoured to be included in the LDC’s ones to watch list, alongside many respected business leaders. Anthesis has had an incredible journey to date, growing in both breadth of offering and depth of expertise. I’m proud of what we are achieving globally, supporting our clients with their goals and making sustainability happen.”
With more than 25 years’ experience developing and leading businesses in the sustainability consulting and services space, Stuart McLachlan, in partnership with the founding management team, established Anthesis in 2013. Now regarded as the world’s leading sustainability specialist, the business has acquired 13 companies over the last six years and hired well-respected experts in fields ranging from chemistry to apparel.
“I’m honoured to be included in the LDC’s ones to watch list, alongside many respected business leaders….I’m proud of what we are achieving globally, supporting our clients with their goals and making sustainability happen.”
Anthesis now supports 25 per cent of FTSE 100 companies and has consistently delivered 20 to 30 per cent year-on-year growth based on revenue. Staff numbers have doubled in 2019 to approximately 500 in 14 countries across the UK, Europe, Americas, Asia Pacific and Middle East. Clients include multinationals such as Tesco, The North Face, Target, Cisco and Reckitt Benckiser.
The company grew from its founders’ belief that, far from being contradictory, sustainability and commercial success go hand in hand. They recognised that the imperative for a sustainable future was creating new business opportunities and that a gap had opened in the market for a new kind of consultancy, combining the reach of big professional services groups with the deep expertise of boutique services.
Prior to establishing Anthesis, between 1995 and 2012 Stuart worked at consultancy WSP and was responsible for starting up its environmental business. Stuart is also a member of Business in the Community’s Environment Leadership Team, and has chaired the Visioning the Future, Transforming Business program. He takes an active role in the transition towards the circular economy, seeking out resilient business models and new business opportunities for win-win change.
About LDC
- LDC is the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
- LDC backs ambitious management teams from UK-based companies seeking up to £100m of equity for management buy-outs, institutional buy-outs or development capital transactions.
- LDC has a portfolio of 90 businesses across the UK which collectively generate £5bn of revenues and employ in excess of 32,000 people.
- LDC invests in a broad range of sectors and has particular experience in Construction & Property, Financial Services, Healthcare, Industrials, Retail & Consumer, TMT, Travel & Leisure and Support Services.
- LDC has committed to invest £1.2bn in UK mid-market businesses over the next three years.
- Over the last three years (2016-18), LDC has invested over £1.1bn of equity and generated exit proceeds of more than £2.2bn.
- LDC is the leading private equity company in the UK mid-market. Recent transactions include investments with ELE Advanced Technologies, Onecom, texthelp, MSQ Partners, Shield Group International, Amberjack, Littlefish, Evolution Funding, Zip World, British Waterways Marinas Limited and SMH Fleet Solutions.
- LDC has a UK regional network with locations in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle, London, Manchester, Nottingham and Reading.
- For further information, visit www.ldc.co.uk/pressrelease
