Cambridge Consultants announced as 'Employer of the Year'

Product development firm Cambridge Consultants has been named Employer of the Year. The accolade was the culmination of Cambridge Business Week – a celebration of the city’s multi-billion-pound enterprises.

Described as the company “where staff can follow their dreams”, Cambridge Consultants fought off stiff competition to be the first winner of the new award category in the Cambridge News Business Excellence Awards 2013. The judges heard how the firm – regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Cambridge technology cluster – puts the emphasis on individuals being able to pursue their own ambitions.

“I wouldn’t change my job for anything,” said Dharmendra Lad, who joined Cambridge Consultants as a senior engineer. He told the judges the firm was “a breath of fresh air” compared with other places where he had worked. “There is an incredible amount of variety, which is something an engineer always craves,” he said.

Over the past five years, staff churn at Cambridge Consultants has been below 10%, and this has halved in the last year. The 380 employees get free lunches and refreshments – as well as a comprehensive healthcare package and a performance-related bonus scheme. An active social club helps to keep the ‘family feel’ of the company as it grows. And half a million pounds a year is invested in training to offer staff a platform for their ambitions.

“We are thrilled to receive the accolade of Employer of the Year,” said Alan Richardson, CEO of Cambridge Consultants. “We employ exceptional people who do difficult projects which they execute very fast. Our role as an employer is to provide an environment in which they can grow to their full potential – and reward them according to their development and achievements.

“The feedback we get from staff is that Cambridge Consultants is an exceptional place to work. Top-flight individuals seek us out as a result of our reputation in the market place – it’s a reputation we have held for some time and one that we jealously guard. So it’s great to receive public recognition of our status as employer of choice.”

The Employer of the Year award was sponsored by Pure Resourcing Solutions. Director Lynn Walters, lead judge for the category, said: “Cambridge Consultants impressed the panel of judges in a number of ways. Not only by the high staff retention rates within this very competitive market – and the structured career development and planning that allows staff to thrive within both technical disciplines and leadership roles. But it also understands what motivates the staff – namely, the variety and quality of projects that it is able to offer them.

“This didn’t just come from management – when the team members were interviewed, they clearly demonstrated a pride and passion for the work they do for their clients and the organisation they work for. Pure Resourcing Solutions would like to congratulate Cambridge Consultants on being such a worthy winner.”