There aren’t many agencies that have got the audacity to launch in a recession, merge five teams together and enter an award searching for the best consultancy to work for in the UK. Speed did it and was last month named as the Best U.K. Consultancy to Work For by The Holmes Report.

Here’s what they had to say:

“The firm’s pursuit of workplace excellence begins with its recruitment process, which makes use of a mixture of digital (Twitter, LinkedIn and the blogosphere) and traditional recruitment methods tofind people who fit the culture. The firm offers a structured mentoring programme, with all new employees paired with a company director, and atraining programme that draws on the broad expertise of parent company Loewy Group, with the company CEO providing personal one-on-one coaching as well as larger group training on anything from review processes to line management. Employees also enjoy a high degree of autonomy when it comes to achieving their client and professional development objectives, and are trusted to do so whether working at home or in the office. The firm is open about all management and financial decisions, and conducts a bi-annual staff Satisfaction Survey to solicit feedback, sharing findings with employees.”