Nelson Sivalingam, Co-founder and CEO of AI learning company, HowNow, has been recognised as a ‘One to Watch’ in The LDC Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme 2025.
The Top 50 was created by LDC, the private equity investor that is part of Lloyds Banking Group, in partnership with The Times. Now in its eighth year, the programme celebrates the drive and ambition of Britain’s best and brightest entrepreneurs. The programme received almost 700 nominations in 2025, and showcases the exceptional individuals that are building successful UK-headquartered businesses.
Sivalingam’s demonstrable contribution to learning and upskilling innovation, as well as HowNow’s rapid growth and customer success, were driving factors in the judges’ decision to name him a One to Watch this year. The LDC Top 50 team describes Ones to Watch winners as ‘individuals that are making significant progress and scaling their businesses. […] leaders who excel in their fields, create a positive impact on their customers and employees, and stand out for their potential to reach even greater success in the years ahead.’
HowNow was founded in 2018 by Nelson Sivalingam, Kuvera Sivalingam, and Ashish Kumar to provide employees with access to continuous learning and upskilling. The skills-first platform is purpose-built to connect every employee with the knowledge they need to develop the right skills, at the right time, using AI agents in the flow of work. Today, HowNow is used by more than 10,000 teams worldwide, and helps organisations such as Trainline, TomTom, HotelPlan, Investec, and the UK Government to bridge the gap between L&D and measurable business impact.
Commenting on the recognition, Sivalingam said: “It’s wonderful to be recognised in this way alongside some of the UK’s most inspiring business leaders. We started HowNow because we believe that with the right skills in the right hands, we can solve some of the biggest problems in the world. Helping people to get these skills is the mother of all problems and this is why we’re incredibly proud to be on a journey to upskilling 10 million people by 2030.”
HowNow has also been recognised by several other industry award programmes in recent months. The company was named a Top WorkTech Vendor 2025 by Inspiring Workplaces in September, and has been shortlisted for ‘Best L&D Supplier’ at The Personnel Today Awards 2025, as well as ‘Best Use of AI in Employee Engagement’ at The Engage Awards 2025. HowNow was also a finalist for ‘Best AI Innovation’ at the UK Business Tech Awards 2025.
John Garner, Managing Partner at LDC, commented: “It’s been eight years since we launched The LDC Top 50 and in that time, we’ve had the honour of meeting some exceptional people. This year has been no different. I’d like to congratulate this year’s Ones to Watch on their success so far – we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them.”
Read more about The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders for 2025 here.
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