By Business & Finance 
Business & Finance, in partnership with Ibec, launches Top 100 Companies Leading in Wellbeing Index 2026.
In recent years, employee wellbeing has continued to rise further up the agenda for employers. Public awareness of the importance of good workplace mental health and wellbeing is also growing. To move beyond good intentions and to realise a true culture of wellbeing, employers must make positive health and wellbeing a core business priority.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
By Héloïse Chaudot
.ie
.ie operates Ireland’s national registry for all Internet addresses ending in .ie. Their purpose is to engage and empower people, communities and businesses across Ireland to thrive online.
Good governance is evidenced in their policy development process for the .ie namespace, which follows a bottom-up, consensus-driven approach through a multi-stakeholder Policy Advisory Committee. They work with and support SME organisations to improve their members’ online presence and e-commerce capabilities so they can unlock the power of the Internet to boost sales to local consumers.
The ccTLD registry is managed by .ie in the interests of the Local Internet Community. There are over 338,000 registered .ie domains, which are securely managed by the company’s accredited registrars.
The organisation emphasises diversity and equal opportunities as core principles. It seeks to maintain a culture that prioritises work–life balance, with health and wellbeing forming a central part of its employee approach and overall business framework.
They focus on encouraging teams and leadership to contribute effectively daily, with an emphasis on continuous development, innovation, and high standards.
The culture is positioned as people-focused, operating within a modern, digitally driven environment.
AirNav Ireland
AirNav Ireland is a commercial semi-state company employing 700 people at six locations around Ireland. AirNav Ireland has one primary function, which is to provide air traffic management and related services within the 451,000 km² of airspace controlled by Ireland.
To facilitate this, they employ over 200 air traffic controllers in Dublin, Cork and Shannon and 50 radio officers in Ballygirreen, Co. Clare to ensure the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic.
Wellbeing is a key pillar of their HR Strategy. Achievement of the KeepWell Mark is an acknowledgement of their commitment to staff health and wellbeing.
ALDI
Today, ALDI stands as one of the world’s most successful retailers, employing over 4,800 people in Ireland across its network of 166 stores, two Regional Distribution Centres and National Office. They spend over €1 billion annually with Irish suppliers and now work with over 330 Irish food and drink producers.
In addition to this, ALDI has invested more than €11 million in its Grow with ALDI supplier development programme since 2018, which provides an opportunity for Irish food and drink companies to gain a listing in ALDI’s 166 stores.
They take pride in working together with their local suppliers to bring quality, affordable products to customers.
Their commitment to customers remains as it has always been – they will provide the best value in the market and will not be beaten on price. This means working together to be more sustainable, to support communities, and overall wellbeing.
Alexion
Alexion, the rare disease business unit of AstraZeneca, is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on serving patients and families affected by rare diseases and devastating conditions through the discovery, development and commercialisation of life-changing medicines.
As a leader in rare diseases for 30 years, it focuses its research efforts on novel molecules and targets in the complement cascade and its development efforts on haematology, nephrology, neurology, metabolic disorders, cardiology, ophthalmology and acute care. The work they do is guided by people living with rare and devastating diseases. They are driven to continuously innovate and create meaningful value in all they do to help patients and families fully live their best lives.
They know that to become the most rewarding company to work for, they need to cultivate an environment in which every team member is encouraged and equipped to perform at their personal best.
This is why they continually strive to foster a culture that reflects values that are core to their unique work and illustrate their daily commitment to people living with rare and devastating diseases, their Guiding Star. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Alexion has offices around the globe and serves patients in more than 50 countries and has a strong presence in Ireland with commercial sites in College Park in Dublin and in Athlone.
Alkermes
Alkermes is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative medicines in the field of neuroscience.
Alkermes applies scientific expertise and proprietary technologies to research, develop, manufacture and commercialise medicines designed to help people living with complex and difficult-to-treat psychiatric and neurological disorders, including addiction, serious mental illness and sleep disorders.
APC & VLE Therapeutics
Irish company APC Ltd. was founded by Dr Mark Barrett and Prof. Brian Glennon in 2011, and its HQ is based in Cherrywood, Co. Dublin.
APC was created out of a passion for science and research. Dr Barrett and Prof Glennon embarked on a mission to disrupt the pharma and biotech industries with a hyper-focused, accelerated approach to drug process development. APC has grown organically to become a global powerhouse in Process Development, partnering with BioPharma and Pharma companies, large and small, to bring medicines to market at unprecedented speed.
VLE Therapeutics Ltd. is a GMP Manufacturing company, launched in June 2021, and co-located in Cherrywood, Co. Dublin, with sister company APC Ltd. Its mission is to support global biopharma clients to manufacture GMP clinical phase therapies for their patients.
Underpinned by their proprietary digital & AI-enhanced platform, iAchieve, they have created a premium & unique offering called ‘The Medicine Accelerator’. Their Vision at the Medicine Accelerator is “Accelerating the delivery of quality, life-changing medicines to patients”, and this is supported by their highly talented team and their Culture @ Cherrywood programme. Their ambition is to be the #1 Tech Powered Accelerator of Medicines and an Irish Multinational in the global BioPharma sector.
ArraTipp
Employing in the region of 500 people, ArraTipp is an Agri dairy-based organisation formed in March 2025, from the merger of Arrabawn and Tipperary Co-ops. ArraTipp holds over 200 years of dairying history at the heart of Ireland’s globally recognised premium dairy industry.
Supported by over 1400 farming families across 16 counties, supplying 800 million litres of milk, ArraTipp is based in Ireland’s Midwest, where it is ideally positioned to take advantage of the natural, environmentally friendly and efficient grass-based milk production.
The company includes two primary ingredient manufacturing facilities in Nenagh and Tipperary Town, processing almost 800 million litres of milk into milk ingredient products annually. Tippagral, their French-based cheese processing facility in Dijon, further adds to their dairy portfolio.
Their Agri Division is focused on the manufacture and supply of high-quality animal feeds in their feed mill facility in Limerick and other agri inputs to the agriculture industry, either directly or through their 15 stores located in strategic locations around the Mid-West, including Nenagh, Tipperary Town and Athenry.
Asiera
Asiera (formerly HEAnet and EduCampus) has supported the academic and research community in Ireland since 1983. Now operating as a single unified organisation, Asiera brings together national network infrastructure and shared ICT services to strengthen digital capabilities across the education and research sector.
As a leading provider of high-speed connectivity and technology services, Asiera delivers the digital infrastructure that underpins teaching, learning, research, and administration across schools, ETBs, and higher education institutions nationwide.
The organisation combines decades of expertise to ensure institutions have secure, reliable access to world-class technologies and services.
Every day, Asiera’s national education and research network supports more than 1.3 million students and researchers and over 175,000 staff. In addition, it provides critical management information systems for more than 140,000 students and 20,000 staff across universities, technological universities, institutes of technology, and colleges.
ASL Aviation Holdings
ASL Aviation Holdings is a global aviation services company operating eight airlines across Europe, South Africa, and Asia. A recognised leader in ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) airline operations, ASL also provides both scheduled and charter cargo and passenger services. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, the Group’s airlines include ASL Airlines Ireland, ASL Airlines Belgium, ASL Airlines France, and ASL Airlines United Kingdom. Its newest airline, ASL Airlines Australia, joined the Group following the acquisition and rebranding of Pionair in April 2023.
ASL also has an associate airline, FlySafair, in South Africa, as well as joint venture airlines K-Mile Asia in Thailand and Quikjet Airlines in India. The Group additionally includes several aircraft leasing entities and one maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) organisation, ASL Maintenance.
ASL’s airlines operate cargo services on behalf of the world’s leading express parcel integrators and e‑commerce retailers. In addition, they provide scheduled and charter cargo services under their own brands, operating across domestic, international, and intercontinental routes throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America, and Africa.
With a global workforce of more than 4,000 employees representing 57 nationalities, ASL operates a fleet of 150 aircraft across seven types – from the ATR 72 turboprop to Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
In line with its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) commitments, ASL upholds a robust Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programme across all its airlines. The Group is also a proud signatory of IATA’s 25by2025 initiative, which promotes greater gender balance in aviation leadership by increasing the number of women in executive roles.
Astellas
Astellas is a pharmaceutical company committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients worldwide.
By focusing on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting its business with openness, integrity and a collaborative approach, they aim to improve the health of people around the world. Astellas Ireland operates manufacturing facilities in Kerry, Dublin and Tralee as part of the Astellas pharmaceutical group, a global pharmaceutical company formed through the merger of Yamanouchi and Fujisawa in April 2005. Their parent company, Astellas Pharma Inc., is the second-largest pharmaceutical company in Japan.
The Kerry Plant is a pharmaceutical facility established in Killorglin, County Kerry, in 1990, and currently employs 400 employees and up to 80 contractors.
It is involved in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, focusing on the production of lifesaving medications with a strong emphasis on sustainability and environmental stewardship. The plant formulates Prograf, Astellas’ important and innovative immunosuppressant drug, which is used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs. It utilises the latest encapsulation, ampoule filling and packaging technology, with worldwide distribution managed by the facility.
Avery Dennison
Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE: AVY) is a global materials science and digital identification solutions company.
They are Making Possible™ products and solutions that support the industries they serve by improving labour and supply chain efficiency, reducing waste, advancing sustainability, circularity and transparency, and strengthening connections between brands and consumers.
They design and develop labelling and functional materials, radio-frequency identification (RFID) inlays and tags, software applications that connect the physical and digital, and offerings that enhance branded packaging and carry or display information that improves the customer experience.
Serving industries worldwide – including home and personal care, apparel, general retail, e-commerce, logistics, food and grocery, pharmaceuticals and automotive.
With a global team of 35,000 employees in more than 50 countries, they value diversity, equity and inclusion, recognising how different perspectives drive innovation and enhance their workplace culture.
Avery Dennison is committed to creating a vibrant and engaging environment where employees can grow, be productive, and make a meaningful difference.
B. Braun Medical Ltd.
Braun Medical Ltd, established in 1980, is a long-standing Irish subsidiary of the global B. Braun Group, one of the world’s leading providers of healthcare solutions. Their head office is in Dublin and has a team of over 75 employees. They are a trusted and integrated partner to the Irish healthcare system.
As a key supplier of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and advanced healthcare technologies, B. Braun Medical Ltd plays a vital role in supporting hospitals, clinics, and healthcare professionals across the country. They take pride in their commitment to improving patient care, enhancing clinical safety, and contributing to the overall health of the people of Ireland.
While rooted in Ireland, B. Braun Medical Ltd is strengthened by the experience, research excellence, and global innovation of the wider B. Braun network. This connection ensures they bring leading-edge solutions and international expertise to meet the evolving needs of the Irish healthcare sector.
With more than four decades serving Ireland’s healthcare system, they understand its challenges, its ambitions, and its drive to deliver a stronger and more resilient future for patients. B. Braun Medical Ltd remains steadfast in its mission: to advance patient safety, provide dependable service, and deliver innovative, high-quality solutions that support healthcare professionals nationwide.
Bankinter
For over 60 years, Bankinter has been one of Europe’s most trusted and innovative banks, with operations in Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg and now Ireland.
Bankinter entered the Irish market in 2019 through the acquisition of Avant Money, a consumer finance company operating in Ireland for almost 30 years. In April 2025, Avant Money officially became the Irish branch of Bankinter, marking a new chapter in bringing greater choice, competition and trusted European banking to Ireland.
Today, customers are supported by a team of over 300 people across offices in Dublin and Carrick-on-Shannon.
BaxterStorey
BaxterStorey Ireland is a leading hospitality partner, delivering exceptional food, innovative service, and bespoke dining experiences across corporate, education, healthcare, retail, and large-scale events.
Guided by their values – Always Visionary, Forever Conscious, Wholeheartedly Positive, and Creatively Collaborative, they champion sustainability, innovation, and meaningful client partnerships.
Their people are at the heart of their success. Through industry-leading initiatives such as their Management Development Programme and Chef Academy, alongside inclusive supports like RISE, Menopause Champions, and Mental Health First Aiders, they foster a culture where talent thrives.
Recognised with multiple industry awards, they are proud to lead in employee wellbeing, inclusivity, and forward-thinking hospitality.
BioMarin Pharmaceuticals
BioMarin is a leading, global rare disease biotechnology company focused on delivering medicines for people living with genetically defined conditions. Founded in 1997, the San Rafael, California-based company has a proven track record of innovation, with eight commercial therapies and a strong clinical and preclinical pipeline.
BioMarin employs over 683 people in Ireland, with its EMEA headquarters in Dublin and one of the company’s manufacturing facilities located in Cork.
Both locations have active health and wellness programs, which are led by employees and supported by the company’s leadership team, ensuring all employees are encouraged and supported to lead active and healthy lifestyles.
Blackrock Health Group
Blackrock Health is Ireland’s leading private healthcare group, comprising three modern hospitals, a new consultant-led Women’s Health Centre, and a dedicated diagnostic clinic. Across their locations – Blackrock Clinic, Galway Clinic, Hermitage Clinic, the Women’s Health Centre, and Limerick Clinic – they employ over 3,000 staff committed to delivering exceptional patient care.
Working collaboratively across their network, they provide patients with faster and easier access to world-class clinical expertise and outstanding patient comfort.
Their services span a wide range of specialities, including oncology, cardiology, orthopaedics, women’s health, neurology, and gastroenterology.
Blackrock Health offers a dynamic and progressive working environment where employees are supported to grow and develop their careers. Their teams work alongside leading medical experts in state-of-the-art facilities, utilising advanced technologies and the latest medical innovations to deliver the highest standards of care. They are committed to fostering a supportive, collaborative, and respectful workplace culture.
Employee wellbeing is central to their People Strategy. The company actively supports staff in making positive choices about their health and wellbeing through initiatives that promote work-life balance, flexible working arrangements, and a healthy workplace environment.
The achievement of the KeepWell Mark recognises their ongoing commitment to supporting their people and creating a workplace where employees can thrive.
BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas is a leading European bank headquartered in Paris and has been operating in Ireland since 1973. With more than 500 staff across two locations, their Irish unit blends local expertise and the group’s global reach to offer corporate and institutional banking, securities custody and administration services to corporate and institutional investors, while supporting the wider BNP Paribas network.
The bank’s activities are anchored on environmental sustainability, local development and social inclusion. They aim to be the reference amongst European banks with a global reach, the preferred partner for clients, and a driver of responsible, sustainable growth.
Their mission is to generate positive impact for customers, employees, shareholders, and society by delivering top-class services through an integrated value-creating model, while fostering an ethical, inspiring workplace, and earning market trust.
Their core convictions emphasise integrity, client centricity, societal impact, excellence, innovation, accountability, diversity, internal mobility, and continuous investment in their people.
Bon Secours Hospital System
As Ireland’s largest independent hospital group, Bon Secours Health System is renowned for the quality of its service provision, coupled with a rich tradition in healthcare.
Bon Secours Health System is a not-for-profit organisation with its mission centred on providing compassionate, world-class medical treatment to all those it serves.
With over 4,000 staff, 500 leading consultants, Bon Secours treats in excess of 300,000 patients annually in its 5 modern acute hospitals in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Tralee and Dublin, as well as a Care Village in Cork. It is the largest provider of private healthcare in Ireland.
Bord Gáis Energy
Bord Gáis Energy is one of Ireland’s leading energy supply and services providers, celebrating 50 years of energising Irish homes, businesses and communities.
In July 2014, they became part of the global Centrica plc Group. Today, as an integrated energy company, Bord Gáis Energy is playing a leading role in Ireland’s energy transition, committed to achieving net zero by 2040 and helping its approximately 715,000 customers reach net zero by 2050.
They are doing this by investing in and developing net-zero energy solutions across three core pillars: retail, optimisation, and infrastructure.
Wellbeing and inclusion remain a priority. In 2025, they launched an enhanced non-birth parents leave policy, achieved Investors in Diversity Bronze and Silver and the Menopause Workplace Excellence Silver Accreditations, and joined the Elephant in the Room movement. These initiatives demonstrate Bord Gáis Energy’s commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive workplace for all. Together they are energising a greener, fairer future.
BnM
BnM is a leading renewable energy provider supporting Ireland’s journey to net zero by delivering secure, renewable energy at scale for businesses across the country. As part of the company’s plans for the future, Bord na Móna has updated its brand to BnM, reflecting the company’s future focus while also recognising its legacy.
Working with its landbank, strategic partners and local communities, BnM is building a 5GW pipeline of sustainable energy systems, including wind, solar and biomass projects – to enable industrial and economic growth, while protecting the environment for generations to come.
BnM has been serving communities across Ireland for over 90 years, and today it continues to support business and local communities, not only by safeguarding renewable energy supply, but also through its dedicated social and innovation initiatives, including community benefit funds, amenities, business accelerator programmes and education supports.
Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical technologies that improve the health of patients around the world.
As a global medical technology leader for more than 45 years, they advance science for life by providing a broad range of high-performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. Their portfolio of devices and therapies helps physicians diagnose and treat complex cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, oncological, neurological and urological diseases and conditions.
Breedon Group
Breedon Group plc, a leading vertically-integrated construction materials group in Great Britain, Ireland and the United States, delivers essential products to the construction sector.
Breedon holds 1.5bn tonnes of mineral reserves and resources with long reserve life, supplying value-added products and services, including speciality materials, surfacing and highway maintenance, to a broad range of customers through its extensive local network of quarries, ready-mixed concrete and asphalt plants.
The Group’s two well-invested cement plants are engaged in carbon reduction practices, including utilising alternative raw materials and lower carbon fuels. Breedon’s 4,800 colleagues embody their commitment to ‘Make a Material Difference’ as the Group continues to execute its strategy to create sustainable value for stakeholders, delivering growth through organic improvement and acquisition in the heavyside construction materials market. Breedon shares (BREE) are traded on the London Stock Exchange Main Market and are a constituent of the FTSE 250 index.
Bristol Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers Squibb is a leading global biopharma company focused on discovering, developing, and delivering innovative medicines for patients with serious diseases in areas including oncology, haematology, immunology, cardiovascular, fibrosis and neuroscience.
Our employees work every day to transform patients’ lives through science.
Bristol Myers Squibb was one of the first Pharmaceutical Companies in Ireland, opening its doors with an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Plant (API) in Swords, County Dublin, in 1964.
Many global business services are located in Ireland, including the global headquarters for External Manufacturing in Blanchardstown Corporate Park, which is also the home to Bristol Myers Squibb European Treasury Centre, Commercial Operations, Global Procurement, Global Manufacturing Science & Technology and Global Delivery Solutions. The network of Irish sites also includes a distribution centre in Shannon, County Clare.
Also located in Dublin is one of the company’s internal manufacturing sites, Cruiserath Campus, a state-of-the-art Biologics Campus, over 125 acres in size.
Originally an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) site, it received $1bn investment in 2016 and is now in commercial manufacture. The campus is the site of release (QP certification) for all finished drug products into the EU and the rest of the world, along with a Global Biologics Laboratory responsible for release testing for all commercial biologic drug products.
An award-winning facility as it currently stands, the Cruiserath Biologics site was designed as a flexible, multi-product manufacturing operation with the manufacturing capacity necessary to meet the growing demand for existing biologics products, as well as expected demand for products currently in development in the Bristol Myers Squibb pipeline.
In 2024, Bristol Myers Squibb formally announced a $400 million investment at the Dublin 15 Cruiserath Campus towards the build and design of a Sterile Drug Product (SDP) facility, which will support the manufacturing and supply of existing medicines as well as serve as a launch excellence facility for pipeline assets. This will be Bristol Myers Squibb’s first European Biologics sterile drug product facility, bringing the total number of Bristol Myers Squibb direct employees across Ireland to more than 1,000.
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann is Ireland’s national bus company, employing over 3,000 people from 61 different nationalities, reflecting the diversity of the communities it serves.
Recognising that its people are central to delivering safe, reliable and customer-focused services, the organisation places a strong emphasis on employee wellbeing as a critical component of operational performance and sustainability.
The company operates city services in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, as well as town services in Athlone, Balbriggan, Drogheda, Dundalk, Navan and Sligo.
In addition, it delivers extensive county and regional services under contract to the National Transport Authority.
Bus Éireann also operates Expressway, the country’s largest commercial inter-regional coach network, comprising 14 routes, and manages the School Transport Scheme on behalf of the Department of Education.
Circle K
Circle K Ireland, part of the global fuel and convenience store brand Circle K, is the leading forecourt and convenience retailer in Ireland. With 2,300 employees, its retail network is made up of over 420 stores across the island of Ireland. Circle K also operates a large commercial fuels business, with over 20 depots and two owned terminals across the country.
Circle K’s mission is to make customers’ lives a little easier every day by delivering the very best products and quality of service at every one of its locations across Ireland.
To achieve this, Circle K fosters an environment where colleagues can grow personally and professionally, with a focus on the safety and wellbeing of colleagues, training and development, staff engagement and encouraging career progression both locally and internationally within the Circle K network.
With over 420 service stations and convenience retail locations, Circle K is firmly established across Ireland, providing support to both rural and urban communities.
Circle K makes a difference in every community it operates in, offering employment opportunities, the provision of essential services and social engagement through its partnerships. Circle K is committed to implementing environmentally and economically sustainable practices across its product range and operations, with sustainability being an integral part of its business.
