READ THE CONS - Economist AME Research Employee Review

Some intelligent and hardworking colleagues. Interesting market exposure. A few strong people trying to do good work.

Poor management and weak leadership. Owner insecurity appears to shape major decisions. Strong performers are not always supported. Political, low-trust culture. Merit often takes a back seat to control. Good people leave or are pushed aside. AME has some capable people, but in my experience the business is badly damaged by poor leadership and an insecure management culture. The core issue is not the work itself. It is the way the company is run. Decisions often felt driven by ego, control and internal politics rather than sound management or a genuine desire to build a strong team. What stood out most to me was seeing one of the only genuinely competent directors, who had helped build a substantial client base, effectively pushed aside after external client feedback appeared to identify him as a key driver of the business. From where I sat, that moment said everything about the culture. Instead of backing strong performers and using their success to strengthen the business, leadership seemed more concerned with protecting the owner’s position. It created the impression that competence was welcome only until it became too visible. That has a corrosive effect on the whole workplace. People learn that being talented, commercially valuable or respected by clients does not necessarily make you safer. In fact, it can make you more exposed. The result is a low-trust culture where politics matters more than merit, where good people are undermined rather than developed, and where the business ends up driving out some of the very people it most needs. There are smart individuals at AME, but the leadership culture drags everything down, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a professional or merit-based environment.

Colleagues are generally encouraging, office location is good. Has the potential to be a great company if leadership were to step down

The company is defined by a toxic leadership culture, stemming directly from the CEO Shaun Browne. While he may have achieved financial success in the past, that success has translated into arrogance, detachment, and a complete inability to lead, adapt, or grow a modern business. Shaun is at his core a bully. He belittles staff, talks down to people, and assumes everyone around him is beneath him. There is no space for open conversation. Employees are often too anxious or intimidated to speak up. He does not welcome feedback, but the reality is that no one bothers anymore because it is so clear he wouldn't listen. The atmosphere around him is tense, uncomfortable, and often demeaning. Meetings are long-winded, rambling, and incoherent. Strategy is non-existent. Direction changes frequently and without explanation. One day something is praised, the next it is criticised. At AME, whenever someone with REAL leadership ability is brought in - someone who could actually build a healthier culture and scale the company - they're eventually sidelined or pushed out. It's a cycle that repeats because Shaun simply cannot tolerate sharing control or being challenged - even constructively. The place is a dictatorship. While other "leaders" in the business clearly recognise this, they stay silent to protect their positions. That silence has only reinforced dysfunction.