THE Credit Unions has been ranked the most reputable organisation in Ireland in a public vote.
The organisations take top sport in the Ireland Reputation Index 2025 study, which was revealed today.
An Post takes second place and Boots Ireland takes third place in the annual list which charts the reputation of 100 brands in operation across the country.
Aer Lingus and Lidl Ireland took fourth and fifth place, while Bord Bia, Dunnes, Toyota, Bons Secours Health System and St Vincent’s Private Hospital completed the top ten, in that order.
Tech firms Meta and X found themselves at the bottom of the pile, placing 99th and 100th respectively in the list.
RTÉ placed 98th and the FAI (Football Association of Ireland) came just ahead at 97.
David Malone, CEO, the Irish League of Credit Unions, Niamh Boyle, CEO, The Reputations Agency, Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director and COO, An Post; Stephen Watkins, Managing Director, Boots IrelandÚisce Éireann (Irish Water) placed 96th with Ryanair finding itself in 95th place.
The annual study is based on the perceptions of over 5,000 members of the public.
It measures the level of trust, respect, admiration and esteem the public has for the largest, most familiar and most important organisations in Ireland, alongside 100 reputation, brand, purpose and ESG (environmental, social and governance) indicators. The 2025 study took place between January 3 and March 17, 2025, the report authors confirmed.
The Credit Unions topped the annual ranking for the third consecutive year with an ‘excellent’ reputation score of 82.4 – one of just two organisations to achieve an excellent score this year.
“They were perceived to be the most down to earth, fair, flexible, genuine, sincere and straightforward organisation amongst the 100 studied,” the study explained.
Responding to their ranking David Malone, CEO of the Irish League of Credit Unions, said: "We are so proud to once again be named as Ireland’s most reputable organisation in this year's Ireland Reputation Index, which reflects the ongoing trust in credit unions all over Ireland, as well as the positive response we have received to innovations in the services we provide.
“This ranking matters as it is built on the consistent work of credit unions across Ireland to provide best-in-class financial services.
“Importantly, it is also a testament to our focus on maintaining an accessible and active presence in communities, while also driving innovation across our digital offering and broader services.”
Ranked in second place, An Post also received an ‘excellent’ reputation score of 80.8 for 2025.
It was recognised for “bringing its purpose to life in acting for the common good, improving the quality of life across every community in Ireland, and for its transformation towards a sustainable business, successfully delivering in a new world of eCommerce and financial services”.
In third place, with a ‘strong’ reputation score of 79.5, Boots was acknowledged for “meeting customers’ needs, demonstrating concern for the health and wellbeing of its employees and offering high quality products and services”.
Reflecting on the study, Niamh Boyle, CEO and Founder of The Reputations Agency stressed the importance of investing in understanding, protecting and building reputation.
“From our 2025 study amongst over 5,000 members of the public we found that the public in Ireland is 15 times more willing to buy from an organisation in the excellent reputation tier, than from an organisation whose reputation falls into the poor reputation tier,” she said.
“Understanding the reputational impact of changes in the external environment is critical for organisations,” she added.
“From the wars in the Ukraine and Gaza, extreme weather events, the rise of the far right, a more emboldened manosphere in some jurisdictions, and a volatile US Presidency which has rattled the global economy – the world is in flux.
“Our advice to organisations is to be externally focused, other-oriented and hold firm to their values and sense of purpose while the rest of the world is spinning.
