Fairbairn and ANS Group top list of best companies

ISLE of Man-based Fairbairn Private Bank and Manchester-based IT specialist ANS Group have been ranked in the top 10 of the Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to work for.

Fairbairn Private bank, based in Douglas on the Isle of Man, came 8th on the list – up from 15th in 2009 – and is among 11 companies from the North West which feature.

Plus-listed ANS Group which employs 63 staff came 9th in this year’s poll – up from 24th position last year.

In the year to March 2009, pre-tax profit at the business – which provides telecoms, data storage and IT consultancy services – rose 1.5% to £1.4m on turnover of £12.4m, up 20%.

All companies that took part had to provide evidence of different workplace initiatives including corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, environmental practices, benefits packages, and training and development programmes as part of the award entry.

A questionnaire was also sent to over 100 employees asking for their feedback.

Windermere-based business consultancy Impact International – which employs 103 staff- also made it into the top 20.

However – the company which had a turnover of £8.5m – dropped from 9th position in 2008 to 17th this time.

IT reseller JMC IT, which employs 72 staff at its Manchester headquarters, came 37th in the survey.

The company which employs 72 staff had profits of £800,000 on sales of £8.2m last year.

Architectural and management consultancy Space – which is headquartered in Newcastle but also has a strong presence in Manchester – came 47th in the list.

It employs 119 staff and had profits of £300,000 on sales of £7.6m last year.

Space Group chief executive Rob Charlton said: “We’re delighted to have made the Sunday Times list and it’s a first for the company, which is great.

“What I think is even more important is listening and this process has enabled us to find out what our staff truly think about what we put back into the community,  the company as opposed to the people they work with, and to what extent they feel stretched and challenged by their job.”

Haydock-based communications firm Intrinsic Technology came 60th in the Sunday Times’ list while internet hosting firm UKFast came 70th.

Wirral-based magazine publisher Newhall Publications claimed 78th position while Chester-based housing association Muir Group came 85th.

Electronics recycling firm ShP Solutions, which is based in Lancaster, came 90th in the list while Alderley Edge-based telecoms reseller Chess Telecom came 94th in the list.

Chess Telecom’s chief executive, David Pollock, who accepted the award said: “It’s a massive achievement to not only be one of the fastest growing companies in the UK but to also be one of the best companies to Work for.

“Chess is the only telecoms company to make the Top 100.

“Chess’ greatest asset is its people and we pride ourselves in our unique Chess spirit.

“Throughout our growth journey we nurture our sense of spirit, our vision, our culture and our values to further develop our people and the working environment. This is a fantastic achievement for Chess and I am delighted that we’ve been recognised for our commitment to Chess people.”