The annual ranking, compiled by respected industry analysts Flashes & Flames, celebrates the most significant and influential leaders shaping the global B2B media landscape. The list recognises founders, CEOs and senior leaders who have driven transformation, growth and innovation across publishing, information services and events.

In profiling Mark Allen, Flashes & Flames highlights his 41-year journey from journalist to entrepreneur, describing him as “the ultimate accidental entrepreneur”

Mark launched the business after his employer exited the B2B magazines he had recently been recruited to manage. In a bold and unconventional move, he took the titles as part of his severance package and set about transforming controlled circulation magazines into paid-for subscriptions. A model that proved immediately successful.

That decision marked the beginning of a remarkable period of sustained, self-funded growth. Over four decades, Mark Allen Group has completed more than 30 acquisitions of B2B brands and events, including many from former employer Reed/RELX, while remaining debt-free and family-owned.

The Group achieved revenue of £70 million in 2024, four times its revenue a decade earlier. This growth has been achieved while maintaining independence, long-term thinking and a clear focus on specialist, high-value audiences across media, information and events.

The Flashes & Flames Top 50 is not based simply on company size. Instead, it reflects influence, strategic impact and the ability to shape the direction of the wider B2B industry. To be recognised alongside global leaders from organisations such as RELX, Informa, Hearst, Thomson Reuters and S&P Global is a significant honour.

Mark Allen’s inclusion in the ranking reflects not only the scale and success of the Group, but also its distinctive culture: entrepreneurial, acquisitive, audience-focused and built for the long term.

This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of colleagues across the business, past and present, who have helped build Mark Allen Group into one of the UK’s leading independent B2B media, information and events companies.