His company’s patented ‘Fibre Bottle’ innovation, along with double digit growth and a £15 million investment helped to ensure his inclusion in this year’s list created by LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group, and supported by The Times.

The LDC Top 50 champions the business leaders who are pushing for growth and building successful businesses. This year’s nominations were of an exceptionally high calibre and the competition was fierce, showcasing the drive and determination that unites business leaders across the UK.

Mr MacDonald’s inclusion on the hotly contested list is thanks to his huge expansive contribution to the sustainable packaging movement. On a mission to replace single-use plastic packaging, he leads a team that has innovated real-world solutions. These include The Fibre Bottle, a plastic bottle replacement made from natural, renewable materials of which 270 million units per year can be made in the firm’s Glasgow-based manufacturing facility.

The entrepreneur has built the only firm in Europe that can take most plastic packaging and replace it with a moulded fibre alternative within one month, and has produced over 1.2 billion plastic free products in the last 18 months.

Mr MacDonald said: “I’m honoured to have my work leading the Cullen business recognised in this way.

“Climate change and the growing challenge of single-use plastic waste are intrinsically linked, but my team and I are passionate about providing solutions to the problem. Sustainability is my whole focus and reason for being.”

The Glasgow company supplies 35 countries globally and has products in 98% of the NHS. Showing its resilience, Cullen was able to stay open during the pandemic, supplying a variety of products including vaccination trays used during the crisis.

All major supermarkets, high street coffee chains and some of the world’s biggest retailers are also customers, evidencing Cullen’s versatility and strong basis to grow in the future.

John Garner, managing partner at LDC, added: “We started The LDC Top 50 six years ago to champion the remarkable success stories of 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!”