“Honestly the reaction to this has been phenomenal. It really put a pep in my step!”
When Mark Huxley was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Britain, he had no idea what the impact would be.
He said: “Like most people, I immediately put it on my LinkedIn profile and the outpouring of positivity was extraordinary. The amount of people that picked it up and wanted to talk to me about it was huge. I had a set of congratulations that followed me around the city for a month afterwards. Even the two Sheriffs in the City of London specifically brought it up in a meeting. That was very lovely.”
With 50 years in the City of London, Mark’s formative years were shaped in the Lloyd’s insurance community before founding a pioneering dotcom insurance business in the 1990s. A serial innovator, he co-founded many other businesses including being part of the founding family of Wrisk, one of the first in the insurtech sector. He can therefore claim he has spanned innovation from dotcom to fintech! He now runs a discreet consultancy, Huxley Advisory, where he uses all his acquired experience to help others via a range of non-exec and advisory roles as well as mentoring business owners. Through pro bono work with the Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs and City Gateway, he has championed diversity, inclusion and equality helping the Square Mile become more accessible to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Mark also revealed how winning the award was “life affirming after the years of getting out of bed early every morning and always trying to be the best. After 50 years, it is very nice to get this recognition and look back positively about my career. For someone else to recognise this and nominate me, shows that it was all worthwhile.”
“Every time I send an email, I get a nice warm glow seeing the winners’ email signature banner. It’s now three months since I found out and with the hundreds of emails I have sent, that warm fuzzy feeling doesn’t get any less. The reminder is motivating.”
“Without a doubt”, he says, “people should feel encouraged to enter. Anybody who feels they have done something extraordinary shouldn’t be shy for putting themselves forward for this. If anyone feels another person’s personal or business life needs to be recognised with this award, they should certainly nominate them. I would definitely advocate for the Top 100 Most Influential award.”
The annual Top 100 awards are designed to shine a light on truly influential people who make a positive impact on society. Current and previous winners have included leading figures in their field such as broadcaster Ben Fogle, rugby league star and ultramarathon charity fundraiser Kevin Sinfield, footballer and Sports Personality of the Year Beth Mead and Dame Sharon White, the first female CEO of John Lewis Partnership.
Entries are open now and we welcome nominations year-round.
Nominations submitted before November 2025 will be considered for the winners’ list announced in January 2026. Visit our entry page to learn more.