Richard West named ‘One to Watch’

Richard West, CEO of Red Flag Alert, has been recognised as One to Watch in The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders 2025, supported by The Times. The programme, now in its eighth year, was created by LDC — the private equity investor within Lloyds Banking Group — to celebrate leaders driving innovation, resilience, and sustainable growth across the UK economy.

This year’s Top 50 received nearly 700 nominations, reflecting the exceptional calibre of entrepreneurs leading mid-market firms across the nation. Collectively, they employ almost 10,000 people, generate £1.2bn in revenue, and are delivering meaningful impact across sectors — from sustainability to technology and international expansion.

The Ones to Watch category spotlights high-growth leaders demonstrating extraordinary momentum and vision as their businesses scale.

At the forefront of this movement is Red Flag Alert, a trusted intelligence platform used by leading banks, accountancy firms, law firms, and other regulated industries to manage risk, strengthen compliance, and accelerate growth. Built on live financial, behavioural, and KYC data on more than 15 million UK businesses, Red Flag Alert empowers financial professionals to conduct seamless due diligence, onboard clients confidently, and identify high-value opportunities while safeguarding their operations from risk.

Under Richard West’s leadership, Red Flag Alert has transformed from a risk management tool into a strategic intelligence partner for the financial and professional services sector. His vision has helped institutions simplify compliance, enhance decision-making, and leverage data-driven insight to future-proof their business models in a more regulated, fast-moving market.

Richard West, CEO of Red Flag Alert, said:

"It’s an honour to be recognised by LDC and The Times as ‘One to Watch’ in 2025. This achievement reflects the incredible effort of our team and the trust our clients place in us. At Red Flag Alert, our mission is clear — to help firms in financial services, accounting, and legal sectors harness data to protect their clients, meet regulatory demands, and unlock sustainable growth. As the pace of change accelerates, the value of real-time intelligence has never been greater."

John Garner, Managing Partner at LDC, added:

‍"It’s been eight years since we launched The LDC Top 50, and every year we continue to meet outstanding leaders building Britain’s business future. This cohort of Ones to Watch reflects exceptional ambition and innovation. Congratulations to Richard and the Red Flag Alert team on their well-deserved recognition — we look forward to seeing their continued success."

Read more about The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders for 2025 here: https://bit.ly/4mCFS4i