LinkedIn Top Voices 2019: UK Influencers

Today we’re unveiling our annual Top Voices list, highlighting professionals in a variety of industries and regions who are building communities and starting thoughtful conversations on LinkedIn through their articles, posts, videos and comments. These are the people you should be following to get inspired and stay informed. 

To find standout voices, we used a combination of quantitative and qualitative signals, starting with a custom algorithm from our LinkedIn Data Science team and then curated by our LinkedIn Editors. You can learn more about how we compiled the list at the bottom of this article and and can check out Top Voices around the world and across industries – from finance to education – here. 

I dug into the data to find standout Influencer voices in the UK. The result? A list that features a dame, a mayor, a futurist and more. The honourees have posted on LinkedIn in the past year about everything from trust issues and Brexit to the importance of mentors, the gender pay gap and even riding a baggage carousel like a giant piece of sushi.

Here are this year’s 10 #LinkedInTopVoices from our pool of Influencers in the UK.

What he talks about: To say Branson posts about a wide array of topics would be an understatement. He’s discussed everything from mid-flight magic tricks, doing pilates on the beach, and riding a baggage carousel like a giant piece of sushi to more serious topics such as climate change, being dyslexic and ending the death penalty.

His productivity hack: "Make sure you plan exercise into your day, every day. If you're fit and healthy, you'll be more productive – it's that simple," he tells LinkedIn.

Follow Richard Branson

What she talks about: Botsman aims to challenge and change the way people think about trust and related topics such as power, influence, truth and beliefs. She unpacks trust issues across different areas of our lives to bring to life what trust is, how it works and why it’s so important.

Something not on her LinkedIn profile: Botsman is an artist and she says all of her ideas and thinking begin visually, with sketches and doodles. "This is something I’m starting to bring to the forefront of my work again, by revealing how I approach all kinds of projects – from books to podcasts to speeches – as a visual thinker."

Follow Rachel Botsman

What he talks about: Caan has been in the recruitment industry for over 30 years and says he has learnt a number of invaluable lessons in that time. He shares these lessons – including how to raise business funding, the importance of mentors and his 20-step process to find the job you really want – on LinkedIn to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs.

Conversation starter: At the end of every interview, Caan always asks: "Have you got any questions?" He says about 70% of candidates say they don’t or ask a very woolly question. He shared this with his audience on LinkedIn and they responded with a variety of meaningful questions candidates could ask their interviewer.

Follow James Caan CBE

What he talks about: The former Unilever CEO tells LinkedIn he likes to focus on solutions, not problems. "These days most people accept that climate change is happening and global inequality is stark. I try to post about the people – especially young people – and companies working to tackle these problems, to help inspire others to action."

The best career advice he's received: "Be nice to people when you go uphill as you might need them when you go downhill. It's better to make the dust than eat the dust."

Follow Paul Polman

What she talks about: The former head of personal investing at Legal and General Investment Management, Morrissey focuses on a range of issues, mostly tied to two broad topics: 1) diversity and inclusion and 2) responsible investing, finance and the economy. An article she published in October dug into the details of gender pay gap reporting, highlighting the facts and dispelling the myths. Another, from June, spoke about climate change protests and looked at other ways of tackling the issue head on.

Something that's not on her LinkedIn profile: She has nine children!

Follow Dame Helena Morrissey

What he talks about: Khan, who was the MP for Tooting before he became the Mayor of London, posts about a variety of issues that impact the nation's capital city, from transport and air pollution to workplace diversity and of course Brexit.

Conversation starter: The mayor's posts on homelessness and homebuilding in the capital have generated vibrant conversation. In one post, he called on councils, businesses and developers to offer up empty buildings or spaces that could be used as homeless shelters. In another, he talked about the work that was being done with planners and developers to build more "genuinely affordable homes". 

Follow Sadiq Khan

What he talks about: Future technology and business trends are what Marr posts most often about. His aim? To help companies and individuals get ready for the fourth industrial revolution, in which the likes of artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, extended reality and big data will change businesses and entire industries. A recent video Marr posted focused on how the school curriculum also needs to change in order to prepare future generations for this next industrial revolution.

His advice for creating content in LinkedIn: "Share as much as you can. Be yourself. Be focused. Experiment."

Follow Bernard Marr

What she talks about: Quoirin shares trends that are shaping consumer experience and transforming a variety of business areas. Her post Diverse marketing – when campaigns backfire examined how firms can go beyond the superficial and get inclusive marketing right. She speaks frequently at conferences, so often shares highlights and insights from these events.

One trend Foresight Factory will be keeping an eye on in 2020: "Synthetic Society. Brands are capitalising on the growing need for imitations of the products and activities considered harmful to people and planet – from meat and dairy to fossil-fuelled mobility. In these eco-aware times, consuming with a clear conscience is a key consumer priority," a Foresight Factory spokesperson tells LinkedIn.

Follow Meabh Quoirin

What he talks about: Recruitment leader Cox focuses on what he believes to be the most pertinent issues impacting the world of work. In one article, he explained how to overcome career-damaging self-limiting thoughts, and in another he highlighted that age is just a number, not a predictor of potential, performance or skill. Other topics he's tackled include quitting, retirement, millennial mentors and leadership traits.

Something that's not on his LinkedIn profile: "Back in my youth, I always wanted to be an astronaut, but at that time there weren’t many opportunities to do that in England."

Follow Alistair Cox

What she talks about: The former CEO of insurance giant Lloyd's now wears a number of hats, as a board member, frequent public speaker and more.The content she posts on LinkedIn is just as varied – expect to read about everything from improving financial literacy and how she closed her own gender pay gap to how technology will transform the insurance industry. 

The story she'll be watching in 2020: Beale will be keeping an eye on the climate crisis, which she describes as "the most serious threat to our world today." 

Follow Inga Beale

You’ve read about the UK Influencer Top Voices this year, you can also see the Top Voices: United Kingdom list here, featuring those who are not part of the LinkedIn Influencer programme.

#LinkedinTopVoices

How we compiled the Top Voices list

First, our editors partnered with the LinkedIn Data Science team to measure the actions a member is able to generate when they engage on the platform. Specifically, we looked at the volume of responses a person’s contributions sparked and the secondary spread of those responses. These signals are proxies for conversation and community development. That said, engagement metrics aren’t enough. Our next filter was qualitative. Editors refined the list by looking at the member’s body of work: Are the contributions insightful, conversational and timely? Do they seek to give and get help vs being self-promotional? Finally, does this list reflect the world we work in today?

All sharing activity measured took place over a 12-month period, from September 2018 to September 2019. As with all LinkedIn Lists, we exclude LinkedIn and Microsoft employees from consideration.