STRABANE-based cooking oil producer Frylite is one of nine Irish companies which have qualified for the first time in the 2020 Deloitte Best Managed Companies awards programme, in association with Bank of Ireland.
They join a network of 130 companies representing 27 counties across Ireland and Northern Ireland, who have a combined turnover of €11.4 billion, over €3 billion in annual export sales and employ 42,000 people.
The Best Managed programme, now in its 12th year, culminated at a symposium and gala awards ceremony at Dublin’s Convention Centre.
Eleven other companies achieved Gold Standard at this year’s awards, having requalified for their fourth consecutive year – including Belfast-based online comparison technology firm Seopa and IT services and software development firm ActionPoint in Lisburn.
Thirteen companies were awarded Platinum Standard after requalifying for their seventh consecutive year, including Co Tyrone-based machinery manufacturers TES and Anaconda, Newry-based fitout specialists Mac Group and Mallusk-headquartered food industry suppliers Henderson Foodservice
Glenn Roberts, lead partner for the Best Managed programme at Deloitte in Belfast, said: “We are consistently impressed by the organisations that qualify and requalify for our awards initiative, and the contribution that this important cohort of the economy make is highlighted by the turnover and employment numbers of the winning companies.
“While companies across all sectors navigate issues such as talent acquisition and retention, continuing uncertainty around Brexit and regulatory challenges, the management teams of the winning companies have demonstrated their razor-sharp focus on their objectives, an agility to adapt in a disruptive market place and to innovate and use technology as a real differentiator for them.
“Through the Best Managed Companies awards programme, we are working with applicant companies to help them focus on strategies that will drive sustainable growth for them into the future.
“We are celebrating 130 companies that are not afraid to be challenged on their strategies - in fact want to be challenged - and that have risen to the challenge.”
Nikki Canavan, senior director at Bank of Ireland corporate banking, said: “The Best Managed Companies programme is a unique opportunity for organisations to not only examine and improve upon their overall performance, but importantly to celebrate the hard work that their teams put in all year round.
“The programme has supported numerous indigenous Irish companies to re-evaluate and strengthen their business strategies and their growth and development plans. It is inspiring to watch such a vast number of companies requalify for this prestigious award and retain their position in this impressive and growing alumni of best managed companies in Ireland.”
Commenting on the Gold Standard accreditation for ActionPoint, its chief executive David Jeffreys said: “This is something we are really proud of. It means that for four years in a row our business has performed strongly across the four pillars of strategy, capability, commitment and financial performance. We are proud to be an Irish company that thinks global and acts local and we recognise our team is central to this practice.
“Our brand culture is the foundation of our business practice. We believe that when the culture is right, strategy can be implemented with a common goal and great things can be achieved. This award and our new Gold Standard status acknowledges the hard work of each and every one of our team.”
