Mark Adlestone OBE, chairman of the Beaverbrooks Group, has been awarded the Best Companies ‘Lifetime Recognition Award 2024’ for his “outstanding commitment to the workplace” over his career.
Adlestone is just the second person in Best Companies’ history to receive this prestigious recognition.
Adlestone is the third generation of Beaverbrooks and his career spans 45 years, during which he has “consistently placed people at the heart of the business”.
As chair of the Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust, Adlestone plays a key role in spearheading the business’ charity involvement, as well as volunteering and being a trustee for many more charities outside of Beaverbrooks. In 2015, he was presented an OBE for Services to Business and Charity in the North of England.
In addition to Adlestone receiving the Lifetime Recognition Award 2024, Beaverbrooks is also celebrating 21 years in the Best Companies rankings, this year being hailed as the UK’s 3rd Best Retail Company to Work For and 14th Best Company to Work For in the UK.
Beaverbrooks is the only organisation in Best Companies’ history to have achieved the prestigious three-star accreditation for workplace engagement for 19 consecutive years.
This recognition, which reflects ‘world class’ levels of workplace engagement, has been awarded every single year since the accreditation was introduced 19 years ago.
Beaverbrooks continues its commitment to its core purpose of enriching lives of the communities it serves with donations of over £2.34m through the Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust – the highest proportion of its annual profits donated to charitable causes to date.
Beaverbrooks donates 20% of its retained profits to charity and, since the year 2000, has donated in excess of £24m to over 750 charities.
The Beaverbrooks Group is a family-owned jeweller which spans a total of 89 locations across the UK, with 63 Beaverbrooks stores, 3 Loupe Boutiques (all with Rolex Showrooms) plus 23 dedicated luxury mono-brand boutiques.
Adlestone said: “I’m exceptionally proud to receive the Lifetime Recognition Award for outstanding commitment to the workplace. Beaverbrooks was started by my grandfather and his two brothers in 1919. Since then, we’ve worked hard to build a business that thrives on strong family values and our focus has always been on our people – whether that’s supporting our team, engaging with our communities, or creating a culture where everyone feels valued and empowered.
“This award is testament to the incredible dedication, hard work, and passion of everyone at Beaverbrooks. It reflects the collective effort of all our colleagues who make this company what it is today.”
Anna Blackburn, managing director at Beaverbrooks, added: “Mark’s leadership continues to inspire and shape the direction of our company. His unwavering commitment to creating a people-first culture is a driving force behind our ongoing success.
“Our remarkable achievements, whether it’s our continued presence in the Best Companies rankings or the strong family culture we have fostered, are a direct result of his vision. We are all incredibly proud of Mark’s achievement and grateful for his leadership, which has truly set the tone for Beaverbrooks’ future success.”
She added: “While we are delighted to be named the 3rd Best Retail Company to Work For and 14th Best Company to Work For in the UK, we are particularly pleased with our 90 per cent survey response rate – as employee feedback is so important to us, as it will help make Beaverbrooks the best workplace it can be.”
