Pictured: Sean Read, Martin Rafe and Tracey Willmott

Midlands based people development and engagement company, Eat the Elephant have been recognised for people excellence in being awarded Gold Investors in People (IiP) Status - the highest level IiP recognition that it is possible to obtain. 

Investors in People standards are all about business improvement to transform organisations' performance by targeting chosen business priorities.

Achieving the Gold standard puts the Eat the Elephant team into the top 1% of Investors in People accredited organisations in the UK and one of only 48 Gold Accredited companies based in the West Midlands.

Investors in People is an established and highly regarded national standard that is only awarded to companies who meet a stringent assessment criteria, Organisations who can demonstrate excellence that surpasses the standard award can achieve bronze, silver or gold standard. Only those reaching in excess of 165 out of a possible 196 points can be awarded the gold IiP standard.  

The award recognises the achievements of businesses who provide high standards of people development support for their team and is assessed across a number of key areas including; teamwork, supportive learning, innovative learning and continuous improvement.  

Commenting on the Gold standard status, Tracey Willmott People Engagement Director at Eat the Elephant states:

"We are absolutely delighted to have gained Investors in People gold standard. It's a fantastic achievement for us as an employer in the Staffordshire area and for our clients. Our entire business is focused on supporting our own team members and in turn our clients to help their teams reach their potential by improving the performance of their individuals. Excelling ourselves in Investors in People and gaining their highest recognition demonstrates to our clients that we really do practice what we preach - aiming for excellence and continual improved performance and development."

Ms Willmott continues:

"We are confident the gaining  the Gold standard Investors in People award will help us take Eat the Elephant to new heights, attract the best and expose us to new business.  We have exciting plans for the immediate future, including the expansion of our team and launching a range of additional people development workshop / programmes that will be delivered all across the UK. Hopefully our new IiP recognition will help endorse what we do best, invest in our people and our clients' people.

Sean Read, Director of EMB Excellence Ltd, (emb-x), the leading enterprise and economic development company that delivers a range of business improvement services, including Investors in People across Central England comments "Eat the Elephant had to gain a minimum of 165 qualifying points out of a possible 196 from the assessment to order to obtain Gold status and they scored 179 which is a fantastic achievement. Working with Investors in People inspires and enables leaders, managers and employees at all levels to build their skills, improve their performance and achieve their potential. The Eat the Elephant team demonstrated precisely why they are worthy IiP Gold standard recipients excelling in many areas specifically, they have the right approach to people development; they really do understand its significance and appreciate the importance of investing in their team. This combined with their meticulous approach and incredibly high standards of customer care really made them stand out. We hope that more organisations will be encouraged to work with Investors in People to help realise their business goals and ambitions."

In summary, Martin Rafe, People Engagement Director at Eat the Elephant:

"We are thrilled to have gained this recognition from Investors in People. Eat the Elephant are currently only one of a select few people development and engagement companies in the whole of the UK who have achieved the Gold IiP standard and that really is something we are incredibly proud of.  

We pride ourselves on the way that we operate as a business and how we support our team. As a company we continually strive for excellence and are always pushing the boundaries to ensure that we constantly improve. This award recognises that, and I am delighted that the hard work has paid off, it's testament to our team ethos here at Eat the Elephant."