Glassdoor’s Top CEOs UK for 2021 Announced; BlackRock CEO Laurence D. Fink Earns #1 Spot

Intentional, consistent, and empathetic leadership during a global pandemic. An unwavering dedication to employees’ well-being while upholding the company’s mission and culture. Accessible, open, and reliable: all qualities and themes which describe a top CEO and inspire employees to rate their CEOs highly.

As a result, Glassdoor recognises those superb executive leaders through our annual Employees’ Choice Awards, honouring the Top CEOs in the UK for 2021. The thought-leaders featured on this list are not only driving their companies forward with innovative strategy and execution, they are engaging and uplifting their employees during uncertain times, clearly demonstrated by the reviews employees have left on Glassdoor.

Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards for the Top CEOs 2021

This year, the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards for the Top CEOs feature six distinct company categories across the U.S., Canada, UK, France and Germany. In the UK, Glassdoor has revealed the 50 Top CEOs, featuring winning chief executives across diverse industries spanning technology, health care, finance, manufacturing, retail and more.

“Over the past year, company leaders around the world faced unprecedented challenges to support employees during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the employees have spoken and it’s clear that these CEOs excelled and found new ways to support their people when the world of work flipped upside down,” said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. “Through a challenging year, it’s inspiring to see Top CEOs who, according to their employees, adapted to change, redefined visions and led with transparency while putting the health and safety of employees first. I extend my sincerest congratulations to this year’s Employees’ Choice Award winners.”

BlackRock’s Laurence D. Fink Earns #1 Spot

This year, BlackRock’s innovative CEO Laurence D. Fink claims the top spot, after featuring in the Top 50 CEOs in the UK each year since 2017. Over the past year, Laurence Fink has notably championed sustainability by pushing the corporate world to transition to a net-zero economy. As the world’s biggest asset manager, BlackRock and Laurence Fink are setting a strong example by making the commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner.

According to Glassdoor reviews about senior leadership, Laurence Fink and BlackRock’s senior leaders are perceived as exhibiting strong executive leadership that make a consistent effort to foster a healthy culture. BlackRock employees also appreciate frequent communications from senior leadership, including regular town hall meetings that keep everyone in the know.

Top CEOs UK 2021 Winners

A massive 80% (40 CEOs) of this year’s Top 50 CEOs are on the list for the first time, with newcomers including Softcat’s Graeme Watt (No. 3 99 percent approval), the LEGO Group’s Niels B. Christiansen (No. 4 98 percent approval) and British Heart Foundation’s Dr. Charmaine Griffiths (No. 5 98 percent approval).

The ten Top CEOs in 2021 in the UK are:

View all of the UK Top CEOs

Congratulations to all of the CEOs honoured, and thank you to the employees who shared their feedback on Glassdoor — it is due to both of you that organisations worldwide are becoming better, more transparent places to work.

Think your CEO deserves to make next year’s list? Share a review, and it will be considered for Glassdoor’s 2022 Employees’ Choice Awards.

Employers — wondering why your CEO didn’t make the list, and how you can become eligible for next year’s awards? Read here.

*Each list was compiled using Glassdoor’s proprietary algorithm, and each CEO approval rating determined based on the quantity, quality and consistency of reviews during the period of eligibility. For the full methodology, visit here.