Great Place to Work Special Awards recognise leaders and organisations that are doing something distinctive in how workplace culture is shaped and sustained. The Best Workplaces recognition is a significant achievement; these awards reflect additional care and intention in how people are led, supported, and developed.
This year’s recognitions celebrate a wide range of industries and roles, united by a shared commitment to building workplaces where trust is earned, leadership is experienced consistently, and people are supported to perform, stay, and grow.
Great Place to Work ambassador
Catherine FitzGibbon, chief people officer, Core
This year marks Core’s 17th year engaging with the Best Workplaces programme - a milestone that reflects not just consistency, but a willingness to keep listening, questioning, and improving how work is experienced. Over that time, Core has navigated growth, change, and the pressures of a fast-moving industry, while keeping culture firmly in focus. Catherine Fitzgibbon has played a central role in that journey.
What sets Catherine apart is not only her commitment to listening, but her ability to make sense of what she hears, and to bring others with her in the process. Employee feedback is never treated as abstract data. Instead, it becomes something people can understand, discuss, and see reflected in real decisions.
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Catherine’s impact extends well beyond Core. As a trusted voice within the Great Place to Work community, she has participated in podcasts, openly shared Core’s practices and experiences, and consistently makes time to connect with other leaders navigating similar challenges. Whether through formal forums or informal conversations, Catherine is known for her openness and generosity in sharing insight, strengthening the wider community and reflecting a leadership style rooted in collaboration rather than competition.
Cathal Divilly, business partner at Great Place to Work says, “Catherine has a real ability to take what the data is telling her and turn it into a story people can understand. She brings the leadership team with her, explains why change matters, and shows people what’s being done as a result. That clarity, and the way she follows through, has a very real impact on how culture is experienced.”
Reflecting on the recognition, Catherine says, “This recognition belongs to the team and the huge effort behind creating and sustaining a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and free to be themselves. I’m proud to play a small part in a culture where colleagues listen, care, and support one another, that’s what makes it special.”
Great Place to Work team
Laboratory Supplies Ltd t/a Lennox
This special award shines a spotlight on organisations whose teams go above and beyond to support their people. Laboratory Supplies Ltd t/a Lennox exemplifies this spirit, earning the team award for the dedication, care, and consistency shown by its Great Place to Work team. This commitment is further reflected in Lennox’s recognition as a Best Workplace for the past four consecutive years.
At the heart of this culture is a group of colleagues who meet weekly to listen, challenge assumptions, and turn feedback into action. In an organisation where people operate across the site, on the road, and in diverse operational roles, this focus on connection is not optional, but essential.
Working closely with management and the senior leadership team, they have helped introduce meaningful initiatives that reflect what employees value most. This work has been especially important as Lennox has grown through acquisition, bringing together teams with different histories and ways of working. Listening carefully, and acting consistently, has ensured that growth has strengthened the culture rather than fragmented it.
“What really stands out about Lennox is how genuinely they care about their people. This team doesn’t just listen - they follow through, again and again, and that’s what makes the difference,” says Fania Stoney, business development strategist at Great Place to Work. “It’s something they should be incredibly proud of.”
By listening closely and working in partnership with employees and leaders, the Great Place to Work team at Lennox has helped shape a workplace where people feel valued, connected, and genuinely part of the organisation.
High-performing culture
Seetec Ireland
Seetec Ireland has earned the high-performing culture award for building a workplace where strong performance is not only expected but actively enabled. Clear expectations, visible progression, and consistent support ensure people understand what success looks like and how they can achieve it.
A strong example of this culture is Seetec’s employment advisor (EA) progression framework; a three-tier pathway from associate EA to practitioner and EA lead, with clear standards, regular performance conversations, six-monthly progression, and pay linked to performance. All seven area managers apply the same framework and metrics, with quarterly oversight from HR and senior leadership to ensure fairness across teams and locations.
This clarity has delivered measurable results, particularly within the EA workforce, which represents around 60 per cent of the organisation. By addressing key drivers of turnover - including unclear progression and limited pay growth - Seetec has significantly reduced exits.
The success of the EA programme has been so strong that Seetec is now institutionalising the model across the organisation, extending it beyond employment advisors to case workers and planning further roll-out in 2026.
“This award reflects the power of clarity and consistency in driving high performance,” says Jim Flynn, chief executive of Great Place to Work. “By giving people real ownership of their progression and applying standards fairly across the organisation, Seetec Ireland has created a culture where ambition is supported and excellence is sustained.”
Organisational and leadership development
The Doyle Collection
The organisational and leadership development award recognises organisations with a clear, sustained commitment to developing and supporting leaders who shape culture. The Doyle Collection exemplifies this commitment through a deeply embedded, data-led approach to leadership development that spans roles and locations.
As a family-owned hospitality group operating eight hotels across Ireland, the UK, and the USA, The Doyle Collection has long understood that people and leadership are central to delivering exceptional guest experiences. What sets the organisation apart is the breadth of its development activity and the consistent use of feedback at every level of leadership.
“Since the start of the programme, the Doyle Collection has shown incredible commitment to listening to the voice of their people using feedback and data from leaders to identify not just their strengths but also their pain points, and responding with focused, robust development programmes,” says Cathal Divilly. “Their transparency and dedication to continuous improvement, especially during times of crisis, set them apart.”
Programmes such as Proud to Lead and Coaching with Purpose support progression through management levels, ensuring leaders are equipped not only with technical capability, but with the confidence and skills required to lead people well.
Data and feedback play a central role in this approach, with engagement surveys, pulse checks, and leadership feedback used as tools for learning and improvement and translated into clear development plans.
The organisational and leadership development award recognises The Doyle Collection’s ability to combine clarity, care, and accountability in developing and supporting leaders. By investing in leadership capability at every level and remaining committed to listening and learning, the organisation has built a leadership culture that is resilient, transparent, and trusted.
Employee retention
Hilti Ireland
At Hilti Ireland, employee retention is shaped by everyday experience rather than grand gestures. People stay because they feel listened to, trusted, and confident that they can build a meaningful, long-term career. A powerful example of this commitment is the Aurora project, which has become a defining feature of how Hilti involves its people in shaping the future of work.
The Aurora project was created to give employees a genuine voice, inviting input from across the organisation on what matters most and how Hilti can continue to be a place where people want to stay and grow. The initiative brings clarity to the relationship between employee and organisation, setting clear expectations on both sides.
Speaking about the impact of the project, Cathal Divilly praised the approach, noting: “This has been a really successful way of building trust - trust that is earned, listened to, and then acted on.”
That commitment to listening has translated into visible change. Ideas gathered through the Aurora project were prioritised and assessed openly, allowing employees to see how feedback was considered and applied, strengthening trust and reinforcing that people’s voices matter.
The broader culture at Hilti Ireland is built on strong connection. Leaders are visible and approachable, employees feel informed and involved, and people are supported to grow through learning, feedback, and realistic progression pathways, while maintaining healthy boundaries.
Together, these experiences have created a workplace where trust is lived, not promised. Hilti Ireland has built an environment where people feel proud, optimistic, and confident in choosing to stay.
Talent attraction
Guidewire Software
Guidewire Software attracts people by offering more than a job. It offers the chance to do meaningful work, to learn continuously, and to be part of a culture where values genuinely shape everyday experience. Purpose, integrity, and collegiality are felt in how people are welcomed, supported, and given room to grow.
As Marina Rivas, marketing and brand manager at Great Place to Work, explains, “In today’s uncertain job market, people are joining organisations with the intention of staying for the long term. They’re not just looking to get in the door, but to find stability, continuity, and a place where they can build a career.
“What really encourages people to stay is ongoing learning, development, and clear opportunities to grow. Organisations like Guidewire Software stand out because they recognise this and focus on the full employee journey from the very beginning.”
Early career programmes, internships, and return-to-work initiatives are designed to provide meaningful work, real responsibility, and direct access to leaders. These experiences help people feel connected from the outset and confident that they can build a future within the organisation.
Learning and development are central to why people are drawn to Guidewire Software and choose to stay. New hires are supported through thoughtful onboarding and encouraged to keep learning as their careers evolve, with ongoing development conversations helping people reflect on their goals. Flexible working and wellbeing supports reinforce a culture that recognises people as individuals beyond work.
Taken together, these experiences shape an employer reputation grounded in trust and openness. Guidewire Software draws people who want to do meaningful work in a place where they feel welcomed, supported, and able to find their place.
Best Workplaces laureate award
DHL, Esri Ireland, Liberty IT, LotusWorks, Salesforce Ireland, and Woodie’s
The Best Workplaces laureate award is one of the most significant distinctions in the Great Place to Work programme, recognising organisations that have achieved Best Workplace status for 10 consecutive years. This milestone reflects a sustained commitment to listening, learning, and investing in workplace culture over time.
Laureate organisationsdemonstratethat trust, wellbeing, and people-first practices are not one-off initiatives, but enduring priorities embedded into how work is done. Achieving this level of consistency requires resilience - the ability to evolve, respond to change, and keep people at the centre of decision-making year after year.
This year, we are proud to recognise DHL, Esri Ireland, Liberty IT, LotusWorks, Salesforce Ireland, and Woodie’s as Best Workplaces™ laureates. Each has shown what it takes to build and sustain a great workplace while adapting to the changing expectations of today’s workforce.
For organisations at the beginning of their Best Workplaces™ journey, or those working towards this milestone, this year’s laureates offer a clear example of what sustained commitment can achieve.
Congratulations to this year’s laureates for demonstrating, for a decade and beyond, what it truly means to build and sustain a great workplace.
