Britain's Most Admired Companies 2011: Utilities sector
Utilities: everyone's two favourite spots on the Monopoly board and with good reason. It's a safe sector in a turbulent world. But which firms garner most (and least) respect from their rivals?
A stable sector in a turbulent year, four out of last year's top five have made it back for 2011. Centrica - the firm behind British Gas – made £1.3bn first-half profit but issued a warning in November. Pennon Group, owner of South West Water and waste management business Viridor, posted profits of £188.5m on revenues of £1.16bn in 2011. First-half profits at National Grid – whose new chairman Sir Peter Gershon takes over in January – are up 2% to £935m, and Scottish & Southern Energy has scrapped ‘confusing’ tariffs, to the Energy 52.6 A stable sector in a turbulent year, four out of last year’s top five have made it back for 2011. Centrica – the firm behind British delight of consumers (and energy minister Chris Huhne). Its reward is that planning permission has just been granted for a new power station in West Yorkshire.
BMAC 2011 by sector: Utilities
| QMan | Rank | FS | Rank | QG&S | Rank | AAT | Rank | |
| Centrica | 7.1 | 2 | 7.7 | 1 | 7.0 | 1 | 6.9 | 3 |
| E.on UK | 5.3 | 9 | 5.5 | 9 | 6.0 | 8 | 5.4 | 9 |
| EDF Energy | 5.4 | 8 | 5.9 | 7 | 6.4 | 4 | 5.6 | 8 |
| International Power | 6.1 | 5 | 6.2 | 6 | 6.1 | 6 | 6.0 | 5 |
| National Grid | 6.5 | 3 | 7.3 | 2 | 6.9 | 3 | 7.0 | 1 |
| npower | 4.6 | 10 | 4.7 | 10 | 5.3 | 10 | 5.0 | 10 |
| Pennon Group | 7.7 | 1 | 6.7 | 3 | 6.9 | 2 | 6.9 | 2 |
| Scottish & Southern Energy* | 6.5 | 3 | 5.8 | 8 | 6.4 | 5 | 6.2 | 4 |
| Seven Trent | 5.7 | 7 | 6.7 | 4 | 6.0 | 7 | 5.7 | 7 |
| United Utilities | 6.1 | 5 | 6.4 | 5 | 5.9 | 9 | 5.8 | 6 |
| 6.1 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.0 |
(Continued)