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  Best Company Culture Win for DBS Digital

Best Company Culture Win for DBS Digital

An employee-owned digital marketing company in Lincolnshire has received international recognition for its excellent company culture. 

DBS Digital, based in Lincoln, overcame strong competition from the UK, Middle East and Africa to win the coveted Best Company Culture prize at the Action Coach ‘BizX’ Business Excellence Awards 2022 in Farnborough on Thursday (31st March). 

The award was presented to Managing Director Julie Priestley by TV broadcaster, author and host for the evening Clare Balding alongside Action Coach founder Brad Sugars and DBS’ own Action Coach John McHale. 

Judging the award, author and NSA Hall of Fame speaker Dr Tony Alessandra said:

“DBS was able to change a culture of autocracy into a utilitarian one to create and foster an abundant culture.  

“Their unique style of the employee-owned business allows the team to be accountable for the culture and success of the company.” 

Julie commented:

“Team DBS and I are thrilled to have won the award for Best Company Culture. It’s fantastic to receive recognition for our hard work over the last few years. 

“We are always over the moon when we win an award, but to win one that’s open to companies not only from across the UK but also from the Middle East and Africa makes the win even more amazing. 

“The backbone of our business lies within our ethics, values and morals. Ultimately, we follow the platinum rule of Dr Alessandra in that we treat people the way we would wish to be treated.” 

The awards were held as part of the BizX Conference, a two-day event featuring business growth strategies and talks from global thought leaders in addition to live entertainment and networking. 

The team’s success at BizX follows on from two other major accomplishments earlier in the same month: winning Service Provider of the Year at the Midlands Business Awards and being awarded gold status for its Investors in People standard.  

Julie said it’s been an exceptional start to the year:

“Following the challenges we faced last year owing to the pandemic we weren’t sure what 2022 would bring, but so far it’s been incredible. 

“We’ve received lots of new enquiries which goes to show that businesses are feeling a lot more confident, and we’ve got a couple of award wins under our belt already. We couldn’t be more excited to see what else we can achieve in the next nine months!” 

Julie started at DBS in 2001 as Office Manager and became Director in 2017. In her new role Julie realised she could do something special with the business and changed the company culture almost overnight. 

“It’s all about creating great people to create a great business,” explained Julie. “We genuinely care about our clients and helping them to achieve their goals, but we also care about each other. Creating a great working environment, where everyone enjoys their jobs and feels rewarded is at the heart of everything we do. 

“Studies have shown that a lot of employees leave a business because of something known as ‘perceived indifference’. At DBS Digital, we will never allow our team to feel as though they don't matter – there will never be perceived indifference towards our team. We know they’re far too valuable. 

“Providing the support and resources to enable the team to grow is a hugely important part of our ethos. I want to enable the team to be the best version of themselves.” 

DBS was founded in 1996 and originally designed and managed printed directory advertising. With the advent of the internet, the company evolved into a digital marketing business specialising in web design and online marketing.  

In 2017, all the shares in the business were handed over to its employees, making DBS the first 100% employee-owned company in Lincolnshire. 

The seven-strong team now look after around 140 clients across Lincolnshire, the East Midlands and the UK and are currently in the process of recruiting a digital marketing specialist. To find out more about DBS or the opportunities available please visit www.dbs.digital  


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