Celebrating and Certifying the
World’s Most Inspiring Workplaces
What We Offer
Whether you’re looking to tell your award-winning story, certify your progress or simply learn from the best…Inspiring Workplaces welcomes you in three ways:
Why we exist
At Inspiring Workplaces, we believe the greatest force in business is people.
When people believe in what they do, belong to where they work, and trust in the future, extraordinary things happen.
We exist to help organizations around the world build, prove, and celebrate truly PeopleFirst cultures, because in a world full of noise, cultures of inspiration deserve to stand out.
Inspiring workplaces don’t just change business, they transform the world, one person and one future at a time.
Our Mission
We exist to:
- Celebrate the organizations who inspire belief and belonging
- Certify the cultures where people truly thrive
- Connect the leaders building workplaces of the future
Our mission is simple:
- Prove what matters.
- Recognize what works.
- Inspire what’s next.
What We Stand For
- Belief — In a purpose bigger than the job
- Belonging — Creating workplaces where people feel seen, safe, valued and able to perform at their best
- Future Confidence — Preparing people to thrive through change, especially around AI and the future of work
- Celebration — Shining a light on those who walk their talk
- Proof — Building trust through data, not declarations
Our Global Impact
With organizations participating from 30+ countries and a network of thousands PeopleFirst leaders, Inspiring Workplaces is shaping the future of work across industries, regions, and generations.
- Our reach is global.
- Our mission is personal.
- Our impact is lasting.
Join Us
Whether you’re ready to:
- Enter the Awards
- Become Certified PeopleFirst™,
- Or simply join a global community of inspiring leaders —
We’re here to welcome you.
Because together, we don’t just create better workplaces. We create a better future.
Our Team
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Matt was born into a half English/ half Irish media-obsessed family. A journalist grandfather, a grandmother who said he was blessed by the blarney and a father who led a top communications agency. So storytelling has always been very important to him.
He followed in his family’s footsteps for the first ten years of his career, living and working in London, Sydney and Boston helping organizations communicate with their customers. It was near the end of this period he began focusing on the CX and ultimately the number one influence on it…the employee experience.
The lack of appreciation of and investment in the EX by leaders and businesses drove Matt to invest all he had in the world to create The Employee Engagement Awards. To recognize and tell the stories of those that dared to try new things. Things that would enhance the people experience for the benefit of both them and the organization. Over five years The EE Awards expanded around the world and evolved into much more than just engagement and awards. Evolving into a global community, an academy, a content hub, events, a foundation and it also did awards.
So in 2020 it felt right to bring it all together in a new home called, Inspiring Workplaces. An organization that wants to change the world, with you, through the world of work.
Matthew Manners
Founder & CEO
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Crispin’s passion lies in helping people to realise their potential, and organisations to create inspiring workplaces.
He founded Onva, his consultancy, to help organisations achieve their goals by providing the leadership required to create a happy and productive workplace. As a result, he works closely with senior and team leaders to hone their leadership and communication skills and to give them the tools to be more effective and successful. His approach embraces proven neuroscience and behavioural profiling so that people can understand how to create a positive impact on those around them. As a result, he is welcomed as an adviser, mentor and coach for senior leaders. He has over 30 years running both public and private businesses and leading Boards of membership organisations.
Crispin Manners
Chairman
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As the daughter of an English/ Irish father and an Assyrian mother, Aimee has always been fascinated by culture and language and how that influences your outlook on the world. This has developed into a passion for learning peoples stories, backgrounds, passions, what makes them unique, and finding ways that they can bring that into the workplace. What drives and inspires Aimee is being a part of a world of work that celebrates differences.At inspiring workplaces Aimee is responsible for the community and content, sharing the stories and connecting of the 1000’s of faces that believe in changing the world through the world of work.Aimee O’Leary
Head of Awards, Events and Partnerships
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Marta Muir
Head of Community and Content