Ireland’s ‘Best Managed Companies’ revealed

139 companies make up the 2021 Ireland’s Best Managed Companies Network, with 25 new entrants this year.

Twenty-five new companies have joined the ranks of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies programme, led by Deloitte Ireland in association with Bank of Ireland.

With this year’s new winners, there are now 139 companies that are recognised as Ireland’s Best Managed Companies. This network of companies has a combined turnover of €8.5bn and employs a total of 40,000 people.

Portwest was awarded inaugural Family Business Award and Errigal Contracts was awarded inaugural Best in Innovation Award.

“The judges noted that, despite the risk of falling into crisis mode and focusing solely on the immediate challenges facing their businesses, the winning companies were adept at maintaining a long-term view of where their organisations were going and a strong clarity of purpose on what the business was trying to achieve, and why,” noted Harry Goddard, CEO of Deloitte Ireland and member of the judging panel.

Nikki Canavan, senior director, Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking and judging panel member said: “Over the last number of years the companies in the Best Managed Companies network have shown huge strength in the face of disruption and uncertainty. This year in particular – a year that tested Irish businesses like never before – the judges noted the commitment, bravery, resilience and tenacity of the applicant companies.”

A passion for excellence

This year’s programme saw the highest number of new applicants in its thirteen-year history and culminated in a virtual symposium and awards ceremony this week. The winning companies represent 26 counties across the island of Ireland and come from a range of sectors – from retail and hospitality to manufacturing and construction. This year’s winning cohort of companies also features a strong presence from the technology sector.

Ireland’s Best Managed Companies Awards programme promotes and recognises excellence in Irish/Northern Irish owned and managed companies and is the only awards scheme on the island of Ireland that considers a business’ performance from every perspective. Entrants to the programme compete for the designation in a rigorous process that evaluates the calibre of their management abilities and practices in addition to the strategy, capability, innovation, culture and financial performance of their companies.

“This year, a record number of applications to the Ireland’s Best Managed Companies Awards programme were received,” said Anya Cummins, lead partner Ireland’s Best Managed Companies Awards Programme at Deloitte Ireland.

“The quality of the applicants demonstrated the extraordinarily high-quality businesses operating across the island of Ireland today. In a relentlessly challenging year, the winning companies displayed true bravery in how they adapted to change, with many innovating and some even accelerating their plans for their businesses.”

Winning businesses

Pictured: Anya Cummins Head of Deloitte Private, Cormac McCloskey, Co-owner and Director, Errigal Contracts, Harry Goddard, CEO, Deloitte Ireland, Damien Treanor, Co-owner and Director, Errigal Contracts and Deirdre Purcell, Area Vice President, Ireland, Salesforce. Photo: Jason Clarke

Programme sponsors are Bank of Ireland, the Irish Management Institute, the Business Post, the Family Business Network Ireland and Salesforce. For further information, visit www.deloittebestmanaged.ie.

The 25 first-time winners are:

The Gold Standard winners are:

The Platinum Standard winners are:

Main image at top: Pictured with Olympians Eimear Lambe and Fintan McCarthy at the event (from l-r) are: Nikki Canavan, Senior Director, Origination and Market Development at Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking; Harry Goddard, CEO, Deloitte Ireland; and Anya Cummins, Head of Deloitte Private, Deloitte Ireland. Photo: Jason Clarke Photography