Slimming World's investment in people is golden

Founder and Chair Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE announced the news to employees, managers and Slimming World Consultants – self-employed franchisees who run 4,000 Slimming World groups across the UK and Ireland – at the company’s annual Awards ceremony at the ICC in Birmingham on June 20.

The Derbyshire-based company, started by Margaret from the kitchen table of her home in Nottinghamshire in 1969, has always put people at the heart of its business, investing in and providing jobs to people in the local community. She says: “I’ve always believed that people are our best asset and that for a business to innovate, improve and grow, the focus must be on people. Over the 46 years that we’ve been helping slimmers to lose weight and achieve their dreams, we’ve grown from a single group in a scout hut in Mansfield to a global company inspiring millions of people. And it’s all down to people achieving success together and encouraging and motivating each other.”

Slimming World was the first weight management company to achieve IiP accreditation in 1997 and has held it ever since. This year it became the first weight management organisation in the world to achieve the Gold standard.

Managing Director Caryl Richards is herself one of the members of staff who has benefitted from the company’s commitment to recognising and rewarding talent. Caryl joined her local Slimming World group to lose weight as a new mum 24 years ago. She then became a Consultant running her own Slimming World group, before being recruited as a manager, and was appointed Managing Director of Slimming World in 2000. Since then she’s overseen the company’s growth to become the UK’s leading weight management organisation supporting 800,000 members to lose weight in 13,000 local community groups across Britain and Ireland each week.

Caryl says: “We’re incredibly proud to have received Investors in People Gold accreditation and I’d like to thank every single member of staff at our Head Office in Derbyshire, Consultants across the UK and Ireland who run our groups, the management team who support them as well as our team in the USA. This award recognises their commitment, hard work and dedication to delivering exceptional service, supporting our members to achieve successful weight loss, as well as belief in their own ability to succeed and transform their lives. Gaining Investors in People recognition makes a statement about the kind of organisation you are, the way you operate and the values that drive you forward. However, it isn’t just about setting ourselves apart or inspiring others. This accreditation is also about attracting new talent, customers and business while improving employee engagement and motivation.”

Paul Devoy, Head of IIP at the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, says: “We’d like to congratulate Slimming World on their Gold standard. Such a high level of accreditation is the sign of great people management practice, demonstrates a commitment to staff development and shows an organisation committed to being the very best it can be. Slimming World should be extremely proud of its achievement.”