老九品茶Cloud is today launching its search for names for our Northern Leaders 2025 list.

The list celebrates the leaders who make the North a better place and can include people from the worlds of business, sport, politics, charity, education, philanthropy, property and many more.

We鈥檙e looking for nominations from across the region, including the North West, North East and Yorkshire & Humberside.

Last year 540 people made up a long list, which a panel of judges eventually narrowed down to a final list of 200 names that made up the 2024 Northern Leaders.

Houghton caps glittering night at Northern Leaders Awards

A separate list of 75 people, aged 45 or less, formed the 2024 Northern Leaders Futures list.

You can nominate or self-nominate by completing the simple online form below.

Alongside a panel of respected judges, 老九品茶Cloud will then produce the definitive 2025 Northern Leaders list, which will published ahead of an invite-only dinner and awards evening at KPMG, in Manchester, on November 20th, 2025.

老九品茶Cloud鈥檚 Executive Editor Chris Maguire said: 鈥淲e had a phenomenal response to the 2024 Northern Leaders and we think 2025 will be even better.

鈥淭he list shines a light on the great and the good of the North, many of whom will attend our exclusive dinner and awards evening at KPMG in November.鈥�

The inaugural 2024 老九品茶Cloud Northern Leaders Awards saw former England and Manchester City captain Steph Houghton MBE named the overall winner.

Maguire added: 鈥淣orthern Leaders is committed to shining a spotlight on the whole of the North and not just the powerhouse that is Manchester and the North West.

鈥淭he awards evening in Manchester was followed by exclusive events in Newcastle and Leeds, where the speakers included Dragons鈥� Den star Sara Davies and some of the North鈥檚 brightest business brains.鈥�

Northern Leaders was inspired by the former chief executive of Manchester City Council, Sir Howard Bernstein, who died in 2024 and is widely recognised as being the catalyst for the regeneration of Manchester.

The headline sponsor for Northern Leaders 2025 has been confirmed as . They鈥檒l be joined by听 听听and听 with more sponsors to be named nearer the time.

You can submit a nomination for the 2025 Northern Leaders list via the form below.

Nominations have now closed for 2025

    Company information

    Q1. Company name:

    Q2. Head office address:

    Q3. Date of incorporation/launch:

    Q4. Name(s) of founder(s):

    Q5. What role(s) do the founder(s) currently hold within the business?

    Q6. What is the size of the company (turnover and/or number of employees)?

    Q7. Is the company growing?
    Please provide supporting evidence (e.g. revenue growth, headcount growth, market expansion, etc.)

    Q8. Has the company raised any external investment? If yes, please provide details.

    Q9. Beyond financial performance, can the business demonstrate a clear purpose?
    For example: ESG initiatives, B Corp status, social impact, charitable work, etc.

    Company information

    Q10. Your contact details:

    Core eligibility criteria

    To be considered for the list, companies must:

    鈥� Be founder-led or founder-influenced (e.g. founder as chair, significant shareholder, or in a strategic role)
    鈥� Be a UK-registered company (UK HQ or significant UK operations)
    鈥� Be revenue-generating (not pre-revenue)
    鈥� Demonstrate clear evidence of growth (e.g. revenue, team size, funding, market expansion)
    鈥� Have been founded or incorporated no later than 2024

    While not essential, judges will also look favourably on businesses that demonstrate a clear purpose, such as:

    鈥� B Corp certification
    鈥� ESG strategy
    鈥� Social impact or charitable initiatives
    鈥� Closing date for submissions: 30 April 2026

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