Over 4,500 Dutch business leaders participated in the 25th edition of the annual peer‑based reputational ranking, evaluating companies on 5 key dimensions:

• Customer focus
• Product leadership
• Operational excellence
• Good employment practices
• Sustainability

ASML secured the top spot - its seventh in succession - followed by De Efteling and Albert Heijn.

Surprises

‘There are certainly surprises,’ comments ACBI director Volberda, who co‑led the project with project leader Niels van der Weerdt. He highlighted big tech’s growing dominance in the top ten, with Google, Microsoft and IBM climbing significantly—driven, in his view, by heightened media exposure related to AI. This year, non‑profit organisations were also prominently featured in the ranking with Erasmus MC and KWF Cancer Society entering the top 10.

Purpose-driven

‘As scientific director of the ACBI, I see clear evidence that trust in purposeful leadership and social responsibility is gaining ground,’ says Volberda. His team’s rigorous peer‑rating approach supports the growing call for transparent, purpose‑driven leadership—especially as companies and institutions respond to climate, diversity and digital transformation challenges.

About the MT500 report

The report (in Dutch) is released annually by MT/Sprout, an organisation active in the field of business innovation, management, strategy and sustainability.