Softcat, an IT reseller which has regional offices in Universal Square, has been named number one in the Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For.

The list is based on surveys of 38,000 employees from 571 companies. Softcat were named the outright winner and the winner of three individual categories: 'My Manager' (the feeling of staff towards their immediate boss and day-to-day managers), 'My Team' (people’s impressions of their immediate colleagues) and 'Personal Growth' (whether or not people feel challenged by their jobs and how their skills and careers are being developed). Martin Hellawell, Softcat's managing director, was runner-up for the Leader of the Year award.

He said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received this award. We strongly believe that motivated and passionate staff deliver great customer service. What we do as a business is not unique; our key differentiator is the quality of service we offer our customers and this has been the reason for our success. A fully motivated and engaged workforce is not a nice-to-have for us, it’s a necessity.”

Softcat, which was founded in 1993, is a leading provider of software licensing, hardware, security and related IT services. It currently employs over 200 people in offices in Marlow Buckinghamshire and Manchester. It achieved a turnover in excess of £114m in the last financial year.