(19 June 2019) — Mark Cowlard, UK CEO of Arcadis, has been named one of the best CEOs of 2019. The accolade comes courtesy of the annual Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards, which highlight top leaders in countries throughout Europe and North America, based solely on employee feedback.
Glassdoor is one of the world’s largest job and recruiting sites. The Top CEO Awards are based on anonymous and voluntary employee reviews, with Mark receiving a remarkable 94% approval rating less than one year into his tenure as UK CEO.
In the last six months alone, Arcadis has scooped an impressive array of workplace awards, including being named one of the Best Places to Work in 2019 by Glassdoor and ranking in 12th position as one of the Sunday Times Top 25 Big Companies 2019 to work for.
This raft of commendations reflects Arcadis’ focus on developing a workplace culture where employees can thrive and are supported as they strive to be their best. It ties into Arcadis’ 10 Global Priorities, in which the employee experience and ambition to cement the company’s status as an Employer of Choice are embedded as key strategic principles for the business.
Commenting on the award, Mark said:
“This is a fantastic recognition and I’m pleased to have been able to build on the foundations and continue to embed an inclusive culture that our employees truly value. Crucially though, it’s been a real team-effort. Instilling the principles I want our business to be known for depends on the commitment not only of our wider leadership team but also, through initiatives like our People First forum, working in partnership right across the business to truly understand what our people want and how we can support them in achieving their workplace ambitions.
“Together, we have the opportunity to create something exceptional – a compelling business proposition that supports our clients, a winning working environment and exciting career opportunities that are varied, fulfilling and rewarding. It’s an ongoing journey, but one I’m very much looking forward to continuing over the coming months.”
Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor president and chief operating officer, said:
“Today’s job seekers are looking for leaders who share their values and will empower them to bring their full selves to work. More and more, we’re seeing Top CEOs make decisions to shape the culture of their organisations to help recruit and retain quality talent, which has a direct correlation to fuelling business success.”
Employees submitting reviews on Glassdoor are asked to rate various factors about their employment, including overall satisfaction and other workplace attributes like senior management. As part of these ratings, employees are asked to rate whether they approve, disapprove or are neutral about the job their CEO is doing. Among the approximately 900,000 companies reviewed on Glassdoor, the average CEO approval rating is 69 percent.
Glassdoor’s Top CEOs in 2019 were determined using company reviews shared by UK-based employees between 2nd May 2018 and 1st May 2019. The final list is compiled using Glassdoor’s proprietary algorithm, led by its Economic Research Team, and takes into account quantity, quality and consistency of reviews.
