When the Sunday Times named Alpha South Africa’s Best Place to Work for 2025, it confirmed a truth many inside the organisation already understood.

Antonio Iozzo, Alpha Group Founder and CEO comments on Alpha being awarded South Africa’s Best Place to Work 2025.

The award doesn’t come from judges, marketing submissions or public voting. It comes from one source only: anonymous employee feedback gathered independently across the country. For any organisation, this kind of assessment reveals the reality of workplace culture. For Alpha, it validated the environment its people experience daily.

“Our people hold themselves to a high standard every day,” says CEO Antonio Iozzo in the interview. “They live the culture in the way they show up.”

Alongside the national title, Alpha was also named Second Best Place to Work for Women, and Second Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Employees.

Together, these results point to a workplace where clarity, inclusion and accountability are experienced consistently across diverse groups.

So what drives a culture like Alpha’s?

According to Iozzo, the foundation is simple: standards, not slogans. Alpha’s internal benchmark is a moving target, what is acceptable this year will not be acceptable next year. The organisation pushes forward constantly, refining behaviour, sharpening execution and reinforcing clarity.

Inside Alpha, staff describe an environment where contribution carries weight, authenticity is welcomed and teams operate with a strong sense of trust. Belonging is not an initiative. It is the outcome of an environment built around truth, respect and high performance.

Psychological safety is treated with the same seriousness. Alpha recently formalised a Mind and Body Wellness Department, designed to support personal and emotional challenges that extend beyond office life. The goal is clear: equip people to perform by ensuring they are supported holistically.

When asked what it has cost him personally to build this culture, Iozzo’s answer is immediate:

“Nothing. I love doing it. I love seeing people grow.”

It’s a sentiment reflected across the Group, which includes Alpha, Body Action Gym, The 11th Floor and Über Property Developments, and one that explains why the recognition resonates so strongly.

In a country where workplace culture is often spoken about but rarely proven, Alpha’s recognition stands out. It offers evidence of a system where people grow stronger, standards are lived and belonging is engineered through truth.