Reputation Matters: From the Boardroom to the Checkout

It may be a statement of the blindingly obvious to say it, but reputation matters. 

Because if reputation didn’t matter, it would not feature on the Board agenda, we would not have Reputation Risk on the Risk Register, it would not be a decision factor for consumers when spending their money and nor would it feature so prominently in HR and recruitment conversations. 

To put some evidence behind the importance of reputation, new benchmarking data from The Reputations Agency shows that consumer willingness to buy rises by a factor of 19 times when comparing organisations with a Poor reputation to those with an Excellent reputation.

And it’s not just willingness to buy. 

Our data, which is the largest and longest running reputation benchmark in Ireland, shows the benefits to business from investing in a solid reputation across a number of key metrics. Running since 2010, our data shows that those organisations with a Strong score in reputation enjoy better outcomes on:

• Being welcomed to the neighbourhood (when opening a location / outlet etc)
• Willingness for people to work for you 
• Being recommended to others by consumers 
• Being trusted to do the right thing
• Enjoying the benefit of the doubt in a crisis

Any Board or executive team member who does not want to learn more about how to measure reputation as part of a strategy to access these benefits should stop reading now. 

What is Reputation

Reputation is often seen as something intangible and therefore hard to measure. 

While it is intangible, reputation is in every facet of a business. It resides in the products and services you provide. It is in the form of innovation in how you do things. It comes by your efforts to create better workplaces. In how you conduct yourselves. In your good citizenship, the performance of your businesses and in your leadership.

And these points – Products & Services, Innovation, Workplace, Conduct, Citizenship, Performance and Leadership – are proven drivers of reputation. They are also the central pillars in our measurement approach, which is powered by RepTrak, the recognised gold standard business intelligence system used to benchmark reputation. 

Our annual study, powered by RepTrak, of the reputation score of 100 of Ireland’s most important and impactful organisations was recently published.  Over the course of 13 weeks from January to March 2026 we recorded 15,000 ratings from over 5,000 people. 

The rankings for the top three companies in the index are incredibly close with the Credit Unions achieving an Excellent reputation score of 81.7, followed by the IRFU at 80 and An Post just behind the IRFU with a score of 79.8. The Index also shows significant changes to the rankings compared to 2025, with four new entrants to the top ten. 

Boots remains the highest-ranked pharmacy in the index. In professional services, Grant Thornton has increased strength this year and ranks in the top one-third of all organisations with a reputation score of 72.6 and a 32nd place ranking. A number of insurance companies are tightly clustered together with Aviva leading the pack with a score of 72. In banking, the average reputation score for banks now exceeds the average score for all organisations in the index.

What Differentiates the Top Three?

The Credit Unions topped the annual ranking for the fourth consecutive year with an Excellent reputation score of 81.7. The organisation also ranked first in the most important driver of reputation in Ireland - Conduct, in addition to taking first place when the public were asked if they would ‘give them the benefit of the doubt in a crisis’ and ‘Trust them to do the right thing.’ Credit Unions were perceived to be the most fair, friendly, genuine and sincere organisation among the 100 studied.

In second place, managing body of the rugby union of Ireland, IRFU achieved an Excellent tier score of 80.0 as a new entrant into the top 10 ranking spots this year. Among the high points for IRFU was the focus on care for employees. An Post came in at third place, with a Strong reputation score of 79.8. The semi-State body has been recognised for bringing its purpose to life in acting for the common good, improving quality of life across communities in Ireland, and for its noticeable transformation towards sustainable business.

Reputation Going from Strength to Strength in Ireland

In addition to the top three, this year’s Reputation Index also included noticeable improvements across a wide range of sectors. Airlines and aerospace increase by +4.9 Reputation points, sporting bodies (+3.8), retail (+3.2), communications and media (+2.1).  Public services bodies also increased by an average of +1.9 with Fáilte Ireland as one of four new entrants to the top 10 and ranked in 10th place. Other public sector bodies with a mission to support Ireland also scored well with the IDA in 16th, Enterprise Ireland in 21st and Tourism Ireland in 23rd.

The three biggest risers this year were RTÉ, Ryanair and FAI, with RTÉ recording an increase of 10.7 points. The Index also indicates that consumers are rewarding trusted outlets for their news source with major news publishers in the study recording a rise in reputation strength. 

The average reputation scores across all 100 organisations included in the Ireland Reputation Index increased by 1.1 points compared to last year, with the average now at 69.8, just below the threshold for a strong reputation score of 70.0. This marks the highest average reputation score recorded since COVID, when many organisations experienced a significant reputational uplift. 

What also stands out from this year’s findings is that the strongest reputations are not built by chance. Leading organisations consistently contribute positively to society, operate with integrity, deliver high-quality products and services, and are led by strong, focused leadership teams. Reputation is earned through actions, consistency and trust over time.

So, reputation matters and it matters now more than ever given the challenges faced by business in terms of geopolitical disruption, technological disruption, and societal change. This means that reputation, like any other key asset, should be measured, managed, and nourished from the Boardroom to the checkout and beyond.  

The Ireland Reputation Index 2026 report can be downloaded from The Reputations Agency website. 

This article is the view of the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect IoD Ireland’s policy or position.

About the Author

Alan Tyrrell CDir is CEO of The Reputations Agency.  With deep expertise in all aspects of corporate reputation, Alan Tyrrell has almost 30 years of experience helping clients to achieve growth. Alan is trusted to deliver senior level advisory on key issues for clients in need of sound counsel that is strategic, insight driven, and results focused.  Alan also brings wide sectoral experience having worked with clients in energy, retail, mining, transport, media, insurance, banking, FMCG, and healthcare among others.

Alan is a Chartered Director and until February 2026 Alan served on the Board of Teen Turn, an organisation dedicated to empowering teenage girls from underrepresented communities to achieve their full potential in STEM. He previously served as Vice-Chair of Glencree, an organisation dedicated to developing and sustaining peace on the island of Ireland.