Management Today has released details of its ‘Britain’s Most Admired Companies’ survey in which more than 200 of largest businesses in the UK are ranked. The report praises Paddy Power in its debut appearance, topping the new-for-2011 sector and coming up sixth overall. The Irish bookmaker was also awarded for its quality of marketing and innovation. William Hill came second in the sector and Bwin.party third.

Companies were rated on the following factors:

Corporate reputation

Quality of Management

Financial Soundness

Quality of Goods & Services

Ability to Attract, Develop and Retain Top Talent

Value as a Long Term Investment

Capacity to Innovate, Quality of Marketing

Community and Environmental Responsibility

Use of Corporate Assets

Each of the companies was scored up to 10 in each of the nine categories. The top ten companies in the sector are shown below along with their total scores:

1. Paddy Power – 70.3

2. William Hill – 59.3

3. bwin.party Digital - 59

4. Betfair – 58.6

5. Sportingbet – 55.6

6. Ladbrokes – 48.2

7. Rank Group – 43.4

8. 888 Holdings – 42.7

9. Tote – 37.7

10. Gala Coral – 36.4