A survey has shown that Bord Bia tops the list of the most highly-regarded organisations in Ireland, with seven of the top ten being indigenous Irish entities.

The Reputations Agency's annual RepTrak study is based on the perceptions of more than 7,000 people who completed the survey, which measures the level of trust, respect, and admiration for 100 of the largest, most familiar, and most important organisations.

Bord Bia took the top spot overall as most reputable organisation, with a score of 83.5, for its role in developing international markets for Irish food, drink and horticulture.

Entities promoting Ireland’s reputation on the international stage did well, with five of them placed in the top ten, including the IRFU, Tourism Ireland, Aer Lingus, Dublin Airport and Bord Bia. Four of these five are state-backed or owned, the report noted.

However, despite seven of the top ten being Irish indigenous organisations, overall the 57 indigenous organisations studied came in 2.5 points below the 43 multinational organisations studied, primarily reflecting a significant gap in perceptions of innovation (9-point gap), performance (8-point gap), and leadership (7-point gap).  However, Irish firms were on a par on citizenship and governance.

In Association with

TRA managing director Niamh Boyle commented: “A strong reputation increases support and delivers positive business results while helping to win customers, attract the right talent, and gain support from key stakeholders. It’s driven by the touchpoints that stakeholders have with organisation – their direct experiences, what organisations communicate and what others say about these organisations.

“In Ireland, our study shows that if an organisation improves its Reputation Pulse score by five points the number of people willing to buy its products or services goes up by 6%, delivering a very positive business outcome.”

Bord Bia chief executive Tara McCarthy added: “We’re very proud to have topped the Ireland RepTrak study for 2019. Bord Bia’s reputation is a reflection of the outstanding reputation enjoyed by Irish farmers, food producers and manufacturers. Bord Bia, for its part, will continue to drive the success and reputation of the agri-food industry.”

The full report is available here.

RepTrak Top Ten

Photo: Tara McCarthy (centre) and Niamh Boyle with Stephen Hahn-Griffiths, Chief Reputation Officer, Reputation Institute. (Pix: Colm Mahady / Fennell Photography)