Arup has been named CPD Employer of the Year 2025 by Engineers Ireland, the prestigious accolade that celebrates excellence in professional development.
Its winning submission highlighted the impact of its coaching programme, unveiled in 2023 to support mid-level professionals at a pivotal stage in their careers. Following a successful pilot, the programme has expanded to include senior leaders, enabling a holistic and inclusive approach to development across all career levels.
Rooted in Arup’s values, centred on the individual and aligned with our strategic goals, the coaching programme provides a powerful way to help our people achieve their career aspirations.
Joe Burns, Ireland country leader at Arup, said: “Supporting our people to grow and succeed is at the heart of how we work at Arup. Through our learning and development programmes, we are helping our staff build confidence, grow their skills and bring their best to the multidisciplinary projects we deliver for clients worldwide. We’re honoured to receive this award, which celebrates our commitment to unlocking potential, nurturing talent and building a culture where everyone feels inspired to make a difference.”
The Personal and Career Development Programme, now in its second year, includes structured coaching sessions that allow individuals to reflect and reconnect with what motivates them and prepare for the next stage of their professional journey.
Prathiba Marimuthu, senior engineer at Arup, shared her experience of the programme: “One thing that stood out for me is how focusing on awareness, decision making and goal setting could transform how you approach challenges. Coaching gave me the tools to step back, see the bigger picture and move forward with intention.”
Damien Owens, director general at Engineers Ireland, said: “Engineers Ireland is delighted to award Arup the 2025 CPD Employer of the Year Award in recognition of its strategic approach to the progression of its mid-career staff, creating a tailored approach that is relevant and impactful. This award demonstrates to Arup’s colleagues and clients the importance it places on the personal and professional development of its staff.”
The award was presented at Engineers Ireland’s annual CPD Employer of the Year lunch recently. This is the second time Arup has received this honour, having previously won in 2020.
Engineers Ireland – CPD Employer of the Year Award
Speakers
- Joe Burns, Ireland country leader;
- Lourdes Trimino, career development coach;
- Daniel Breen, senior engineer;
- Krissel Alcaraz, associate transport planner;
- Prathiba Marimuthu, senior engineer.
Interview questions
Questions for leadership and people team
What does it mean to you to win this prestigious award?
It is an honour to be recognised by Engineers Ireland for our focus on our people’s continuing professional development.
We are really proud of the experience we are creating for everybody at Arup. It is something we are putting front and centre in our strategy globally. Whether it is creating clearer career pathways, opening up more opportunities for leadership and collaboration at every level or simply making it easier to work together, we are focused on building a workplace that brings out the best in people.
When we feel supported, encouraged and given space to grow – that is when we do our best work.
That is why we are so passionate about learning and development. As a CPD Accredited employer, we’re proud to support our engineers as they build their skills and work towards Chartered status. It is about more than qualifications – it is about helping people feel confident, capable and excited about where their careers are heading.
Why was it important to have a programme of this nature in place?
When we invest in our people – through coaching, mentoring and development – great things happen. Teams find new ways to develop sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions, bring fresh thinking to projects and ensure we deliver real value to our clients. It is a cycle we are proud of: our people grow, our work improves and together, we make a bigger impact.
Our coaching programme, now in its second year, was created to support mid-level staff at a really important stage in their careers. While our early careers colleagues have a dedicated graduate programme and our senior leaders benefit from tailored leadership development, we saw a gap for those in between – and we wanted to change that.
Setting up the coaching programme made me think – every top athlete has a coach to push their limits and help them to excel. It made me realise: why should it be any different in our professional lives? Coaching really is essential for growth.
From the start, we knew that bringing in a professional, accredited coach would be key. This enabled us to create a coaching experience that is practical, personal and focused on helping people thrive – and prepare for leadership roles in the future.
Your winning entry for the CPD Employer of the Year competition was your coaching programme. Can you describe this initiative?
In December 2023, Arup in Ireland launched our coaching programme – a fresh approach to supporting our people to grow at every stage of their careers. It started with one-to-one coaching for mid-level professionals, helping them take charge of their growth while staying aligned with Arup’s strategic direction.
By 2025, the programme evolved. Based on feedback and insights from participants, it now offers a wider range of coaching approaches from group coaching for early mid-level staff to continued one-to-one coaching for established mid-level staff and psychometric-supported executive coaching for senior leaders. Today, we can say the programme is fully embedded in our culture.
What do you anticipate will be the key outcomes for Arup in Ireland from this programme?
Our coaching programme is making a difference – not just in how people lead and collaborate, but in how they see their future here. So far, it has helped hundreds of staff members to grow their leadership skills, communicate more effectively and take ownership of their career paths.
Designed to align personal and professional growth with our business goals, the programme is helping us to build a culture where coaching is second nature.
Managers are using coaching techniques to support their teams, feedback is more open and constructive and people feel empowered to reflect, grow and lead with purpose.
Coaching is now part of how we support our people – and we are proud to share this journey with the engineering community in Ireland.
For other organisations looking to develop or refine a coaching programme, what advice would you give them?
Arup’s journey with coaching has some great takeaways for any organisation thinking about starting or enhancing their own programme:
- Align coaching with your strategic goals;
- Tailor the approach to individual needs and career stages;
- Include managers to embed learning into everyday leadership;
- Embed evaluation from the outset so you can measure success;
- Start small, evaluate and scale progressively.
Questions for coaching programme participants
What difference has coaching made in how you approach your work or career goals?
Coaching has given me the time to pause and reflect – something I don’t often get the opportunity to do in my day-to-day work.
It has helped me focus more clearly on my goals and aspirations.
I have become more intentional in my actions, and am taking proactive steps to achieve goals – I am already starting to see a positive impact.
Most importantly, coaching has helped me help myself, equipping me with the tools and mindset to take ownership of my growth and move forward with greater clarity and purpose.
How does coaching at Arup feel different from other development experiences you’ve had?
I’ve been working at Arup for 15 years, so I have attended a lot of training and development sessions, but this one was quite different as it was very personalised. My coaching sessions were beneficial because they were about exploring my leadership skills and how I can continue to develop them.
We talked about how I think, how I feel and how I act in my day-to-day life, not just at work but also outside of that part of my life.
I learnt a lot about myself, and I always left each session inspired and motivated! The coaching programme has helped me to appreciate how much Arup values us, and encourages us to continue our professional and personal growth.
What is one thing that you have learnt through coaching that you think others should know?
Coaching showed me that real career growth happens when effort is aligned with clarity and focus. What really stood out for me in the coaching was how focusing on awareness, decision making and goal setting can completely change the way you approach challenges. To sum it up, this coaching gave me the tools to step back, see the bigger picture and move forward with intention.