In a heartfelt gesture of gratitude, ARA hosted the ‘Thank you’ events across the company. These events were a celebration of the people who have built ARA into the thriving, values-driven organisation it is today.
A Message from Ed
To all 4,000 members of the ARA team – thank you from the bottom of my heart. We have an amazing competitive advantage. The continuity of service from so many ARA employees makes a huge positive difference in so many ways. So many of us believe in our culture and the business we have created during the past two and a half decades. Your dedication, teamwork, and spirit are the foundation of everything we’ve achieved. We are celebrating you.
You have helped build ARA into the thriving, values-driven organisation it is today. You rise to challenges, support one another, and deliver excellence to our customers every day. You are the reason ARA continues to grow, evolve, and work with a noble purpose.
These events give us a chance to look back at the last 24 years. To celebrate, recognise and appreciate the hard work, commitment and successes of ARA.
ARA’s journey began with a simple but powerful idea—to bring together businesses and people who care about doing things differently. Today, that idea lives on in every Division, every team, and every individual who contributes to our shared success.
Building Morale and Celebrating Culture
The Thank You events were designed to uplift and inspire. It included:
- A summary of ARA’s key achievements
- The ARA History and highlights throughout the years.
- A statement of the company’s values and capabilities through the MD interviews
- Personal stories from Ed about founding the company and the journey to today
- A spotlight on our brand promise: Here for you. Here for good.
- A deep dive into our internal culture message: It’s different here.
Featuring Rosabeth Moss Kanter
We were honoured to welcome Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Professor of Business at Harvard and author of Confidence, as our guest speaker. Her insights on confidence in business – from leadership to frontline teams – offered a powerful perspective on how belief in ourselves and each other drives success.
Her strategic and practical insights guide leaders worldwide through teaching, writing, and direct consultation to major corporations, governments, and start-up ventures. She co-founded the Harvard University-wide advanced leadership initiative, guiding its planning from 2005 to its launch in 2008, where she served as a Founding Chair and Director from 2008-2018. Her work has became a growing international model for a new stage of higher education preparing successful top leaders to apply their skills to national and global challenges.
She was also repeatedly named as one of the 50 most powerful women in the world by Times of London and as one of the 50 most influential business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50.
Why This Matters
This event exists to recognise the work of every employee and manager. ARA’s growth is a direct result of individual and collective efforts throughout the Group. The alignment between leadership and workforce is not optional – it is essential. Every person’s contribution impacts their co-workers, their Division, and the wider Group.
ARA and Ed will always remain committed to the tagline: Here for you. Here for good.
The You is for our customers, our employees, our shareholders and all of our stakeholders.
The Good can be interpreted in two ways: Good meaning we will stand the test of time. The dream from the start of ARA was that we would be a privately owned and principally employee owned company into the future and would stay that way. The Good can also mean we do good things in our community.
ARA. Here for you. Here for good.