By Claire Cartmill

Copyright newsletter

Two companies from Northern Ireland are among eight new entrant businesses from across the island of Ireland to be awarded Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies (BMC) accolade at the 17th annual awards programme. The Deloitte Best Managed Companies programme promotes and recognises excellence in Irish and Northern Irish owned and managed companies. It is the only awards scheme on the island of Ireland that considers a business’s performance from every perspective. The two NI companies to achieve Best Managed status for the first time were Marcon Fit-Out, a commercial fit-out specialist based in Antrim, and Specialist Group from Maghera, a bespoke joinery and fit-out business. This year also sees hospitality firm, Beannchor Group reach Platinum status, having qualified for seven years running, and both Ballymena-based facade specialist, Clarke, and waste management firm, Reg-Gen, reach Gold standard qualifying for four years in a row. This year, Deloitte recognised 115 companies at the awards, with 107 companies requalifying as a Best Managed Company. Many companies reapply and successfully requalify every year, with some like Ergo, an IT solutions provider and Portview, an Interior fit out specialist, winning the ‘Best Managed’ accolade for 15 years running. The winners have a combined turnover of €22 billion, employ over 62,000 people nationwide and represent 25 of 32 counties across the island of Ireland. The recognition is based on a thorough judging process evaluating the entire management team and business strategy of each company. The judges examine a wide range of areas when assessing the island’s top-privately owned businesses, considering each business’ strategic planning, governance standards, financial performance alongside each organisation’s culture, talent and innovation. Aisléan Nicholson, partner at Deloitte in Belfast, said: “Congratulations to all the winning companies on their achievement. The Best Managed Companies programme offers a valuable platform for indigenous businesses across the island of Ireland. It’s encouraging to see new companies based in Northern Ireland being recognised for their innovation, resilience and commitment to excellence, alongside several long-standing participants who have achieved Gold and Platinum status for consistently meeting the programme’s high standards over the years.” Glenn Shanley, head of AIB Corporate Banking, added: “Ireland’s Best Managed Companies is a showcase of what we see daily in AIB – the incredible strength, ambition and resilience of our indigenous companies. The process is a celebration of strong management teams and the energy they bring to the business world. “We can see many shared traits in the 2025 winners – for instance, a willingness to face challenges head on and turn them into opportunities, embedding sustainability as a priority, and creating a culture in which people are comfortable with sharing opinions and challenging each other. Congratulations to all winners, I wish them every success in the coming year.”