UK microprocessor design company is 'best place to work'

ARM Holdings have emerged as the best place to work in the UK when the microprocessor design firm walked away with the Employer of the Year Award at the prestigious The National Business Awards for 2003.

The Cambridge-based company beat off stiff competition to take the top title before an audience of more than 1,200 business leaders and VIPs at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Tuesday.

The judging panel for The Employer of the Year Award said ARM Holdings best demonstrated how a stimulating and supportive workplace and development programme for its 714 employees had led to financial success.

ARM Holdings is reliant on the skills, motivation and knowledge of its people and this creates the unique atmosphere that in turn generates the business success that make ARM Holdings such a great place to work. The commitment and enthusiasm of the workforce has enabled the company to grow from 12 people in 1990 to 714 in 2003.

Philip Forrest, Chairman of the Judges said: “ARM Holdings was the clear winner, demonstrating how culture change and employee development drove business performance, customer and staff satisfaction. However, the ARM Holdings success story shouldn’t overshadow the other very strong candidates for Employer of the Year. It was definitely the case of ARM Holdings was the best of a strong field. The Award clearly shows that good employment practices benefit business performance”.

The runners up for Orange sponsored National Business Awards for The Employer of the Year Award were: Edinburgh based The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Pizza Hut UK Limited located in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, ClinPhone Group Limited from Nottingham, (which was also a runner in two further categories - the Business of the Year Award and the Investors in People Award) and Coors Brewers Limited from Burton-upon-Trent.

There were over 1900 nominations for this year’s event which saw 24 different categories being awarded.

created by the publishing and events company Quest Media to recognise and reward commercial success, innovation and ethics in the UK business community.

The National Business Awards engages FTSE 100s and blue chip companies together with new ventures and SMEs.

(SP)