North West-based power generator firm Stuart Energy has been named one of the UK’s top 10 best places to work for the third consecutive year.
After being included in The Sunday Times Best Small Places to Work list in 2024 and 2025, the family-run business has completed a hat-trick after making the top 10 in the 2026 list.
The list shines a spotlight on organisations that champion workplace culture and employee experience and is voted on by their own staff via a survey.
To feature in the list, businesses must achieve a staff engagement score of at least 70 per cent and organisers highlighted how Stuart Energy stepped in to provide a generator to a local school after its heating broke down.
Stuart Energy was founded in 2017 by siblings Mark and Lee Stuart, with their sister, Jane Stuart-Puttnam, later joining as Director of Strategic Partnerships. Their father, Fred Stuart, is chairman.
The company, which operates with a ‘family first, work second’ mantra, is headquartered in Skelmersdale and has grown to 33 staff and £8.5m turnover, working across sectors including construction, oil and gas, utilities, infrastructure, healthcare, education and nuclear.
Joint managing director Mark Stuart said: “We’ve grown by 11,000 per cent since we started, but we’ve only achieved this by investing heavily in the best people and the best equipment to ensure we remain the best in the market.
“We pride ourselves on being a genuine people-first employer. We don’t prioritise profit over people.
“Development is a key priority, supported through our in-house training academy, which offers clear opportunities for progression.
“We operate a 24/7 service, 365 days a year, so our focus is on attracting, supporting and retaining best-in-class talent.
Stuart Energy family: Siblings Lee Stuart, Jane Stuart-Puttnam and Mark Stuart
“Recruitment is highly selective and reinforced by our commitment to paying significantly above market rates, particularly for engineering roles.”
His brother Lee Stuart, who is also joint managing director, said: “We invest heavily in future talent through mechanical and electrical engineering apprenticeships and have built excellent relationships with local universities, colleges and schools.
“These are some of the reasons why Stuart Energy has an employee retention rate of 99.5 per cent.
“We want Stuart Energy to be more than just a place where people turn up to work. We want it to be a place people don’t want to leave.”
In the past 12 months, Stuart Energy has invested £2.6m in its fleet and reduced carbon emissions by more than 2.3 million tonnes since the business started.
Jane Stuart-Puttnam said: “Our staff are at the forefront of everything we do.
Humbling
“To make the top 10 of The Sunday Times Best Small Places to Work list for three consecutive years is humbling because it is based directly on staff feedback.
“We want to create an exceptional place to work, which is why we always welcome staff feedback.
“Stuart Energy is a family-run business and we see the people within the business as an extension of our family.
“Wellbeing is taken very seriously and we recently expanded our team of qualified mental health first aiders from one person to six. We also provide access to a full employee assistance programme.
“We understand the importance of supporting our team when it matters most, whether that is through long-term illness on full pay or helping staff through bereavement and difficult life events.”
Stuart Energy is also a proud supporter of Embassy Village, a pioneering Manchester community designed to support people experiencing homelessness.