“I am thrilled and honoured to be named in this prestigious list. I have met many of the other business leaders recognised by LDC and they are of a very high calibre and many have been an inspiration to my own career. 

“But this accolade and the success of Realise is not just about me – it’s down to the incredible people we have who work every day to provide first-in-class training across the whole country. 

“We have no intention of resting on our laurels and have plans for further growth and expansion in the years to come, delivering huge benefits for people looking to train and progress their careers.” 

With more than 200 trainer assessors across the UK, Realise delivers a wide range of courses including in early years, bus driving, English and maths functional skills, health and social care and hair and barbering, and recently received a Grade 2 Ofsted report rating. 

Under Gregg’s leadership, annual revenue and profits have been strong – and both are set to increase further. 

Realise has also completed two notable acquisitions in the early years sector, of FW Solutions and Training Plus Merseyside. 

The leaders featured in The LDC Top 50 are growing their businesses at home and overseas, making a positive contribution to society and driving progress against their sustainability goals. They hail from every corner of the UK and span every sector of the economy. Together, they employ more than 6,700 people and turn over more than £1.2bn. 

John Garner, Managing Partner at LDC, said: “We started The LDC Top 50 six years ago to champion the remarkable success stories of medium-sized businesses, the unsung heroes of the British economy. Since then, we’ve received more than 3,000 nominations and celebrated more than 500 business leaders through the programme, surpassing all our expectations.  

“Every leader in this year’s cohort has a story as impressive as the next, and I’d like to congratulate them on their achievements so far. We can’t wait to see where they go from here.”