Ryan FowlerNelson 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 accolade, part of the Top 50 list created by private equity investor LDC in partnership with The Times, celebrates the achievements and potential of exceptional UK business leaders.
Now in its eighth year, the LDC programme received nearly 700 nominations for 2025, highlighting entrepreneurs who are driving growth and innovation across the country.
The Ones to Watch category recognises individuals making significant progress in scaling their businesses and demonstrating the potential for future success.
Judges praised Sivalingam’s leadership in learning and upskilling innovation and HowNow’s rapid growth and customer impact as key factors in his selection.
Founded in 2018 by Nelson Sivalingam, Kuvera Sivalingam, and Ashish Kumar, HowNow provides AI-driven tools that help employees learn and develop the right skills at the right time.
The skills-first platform is now used by more than 10,000 teams globally, supporting organisations including Trainline, TomTom, HotelPlan, Investec, and the UK Government in connecting learning and development with measurable business outcomes.
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’s continued growth has also earned it wider industry recognition. The company was named a Top WorkTech Vendor 2025 by Inspiring Workplaces in September and has been shortlisted for multiple national awards, including Best L&D Supplier at The Personnel Today Awards 2025, Best Use of AI in Employee Engagement at The Engage Awards 2025, and Best AI Innovation at the UK Business Tech Awards 2025.
John Garner, managing partner at LDC, said: “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.”
