Winners named across cosmetics, transport, engineering, water treatment and vehicle adaptation
Scotland’s most successful independent, private businesses and entrepreneurs were celebrated on Wednesday 4 November at The Sunday Times Scotland Fast 50 gala dinner, with five of the 50 recognised for individual awards. The event, hosted by Times Radio presenter Rosie Wright, was held at Edinburgh Castle and brought together companies named in the inaugural Scotland Fast 50, published in June 2026. The list is backed by Cazenove Capital as headline partner and supported by S&W and the Scottish Government.
The final 50 is not ranked in order, though selections were guided by eligibility criteria including a requirement for each firm to have recorded sales of at least £2 million in their latest financial year. Together, the five award winners generate combined annual sales of more than £850 million across a range of industries, from a cosmetics brand founded in 2020 to engineering groups with more than four decades of history.
The award categories were Young Leaders, Female Leadership, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Rural Champion and Family Business. Guests heard addresses from Stephen Flynn, cabinet secretary for economy, tourism and transport; Dale Miller, Scotland editor of The Times and The Sunday Times; Bob Hair, head of UK regions at Cazenove Capital; and Ana Stewart, Scotland’s chief entrepreneur.
Dale Miller said: “Despite the headwinds and hurdles that make operating environments increasingly tough, the atmosphere last night was far from subdued as we formally honoured The Sunday Times Scotland Fast 50 and its award winners.” He added: “More than one third of the companies in this year’s Scotland Fast 50 were founded within the past decade, which highlights the sheer scale of the ambition that exists across the country. Congratulations to all the businesses and people that joined us last night at Edinburgh Castle.”
Vieve, founded in Glasgow in 2020 by make-up artist Jamie Genevieve and led by chief executive Emma Dawson, won the Young Leaders award. The company has raised more than £15.6 million and recorded annual sales of £9.3 million, selling through its own channels, its Glasgow store, and retailers including Space NK, Cult Beauty and Sephora.
ESP Group, headquartered in Arbroath and led by chief executive Ashley Meston, won the Female Leadership award. The company supports Transport for London, ScotRail, Chiltern Railways and Grand Central with customer support, smart ticketing, fulfilment, accessibility services and software, employs 360 people and recorded sales of £17.4 million.
Sir Jim Milne of Balmoral Group won the Entrepreneurial Spirit award. Founded in Aberdeen in 1980, the group spans engineering, manufacturing, offshore energy, water storage, property and hospitality, and recorded annual sales of £202.4 million.
RSE, founded in 1982 in Muir of Ord, won the Rural Champion award. The company designs, builds and commissions water treatment systems for clients including Scottish Water, Thames Water and Severn Trent, employs about 2,000 people and recorded annual sales of £307 million. Its modular “plug and play” treatment systems won a King’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation in 2025.
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Allied Vehicles, founded in Glasgow in 1993, won the Family Business award. The group supplies adapted and special-purpose vehicles, including those for elderly and disabled people, employs nearly 800 people and recorded annual sales of £320.4 million. Group company Allied Mobility provided wheelchair-accessible vehicles as the official accessibility partner for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
To qualify for the Scotland Fast 50, companies had to be independently, privately owned and headquartered in Scotland, with sales of at least £2 million in their latest financial year, sales growth of more than 20 per cent a year over the last two years, and at least five staff. Some 17 of the 50 companies were founded in the last decade.
