Independent Trustees who’ve been where you are.
We bring together employee owned businesses with independent trustees who have direct experience as sellers, beneficiaries, board members and management of Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). We know what good governance looks like from every seat at the table.
OUR APPROACH
Employee ownership deserves trustees who believe in it and in you.
Selling your business into an employee ownership trust is one of the most significant decisions you will make.
Done well, it protects employees, rewards founders, and builds a culture of shared ownership that endures over time. Done poorly, it risks conflict and confusion.
The independent trustee is where that difference is made.
Our trustees don't just understand the legal and governance obligations of the role. We've worked through the day-to-day reality of employee ownership ourselves. We know what EOTs look like from the inside and how it feels to navigate the interests of employees, sellers and the business.
THE TRUSTEE ROLE
We are your honest broker.
When a business sells into an employee ownership trust, the trust holds the shares on behalf of the employees. The independent trustee is appointed to represent their interests, separately from the company's management and the selling shareholders.
Our trustees have built successful employee owned businesses. We know that long-term success depends on everyone having a shared vision of the future. Employees want a business they are inspired to work for. Sellers want to see what they have built continue to thrive. Management needs the freedom and the incentive to lead well. Those interests are not in conflict. It's the trustee's job to keep them that way.
Part of our job is demystifying what employee ownership is and, importantly, what it is not.
Employees sometimes come to an EOT expecting control over day-to-day decisions or an immediate financial windfall. Neither is what an EOT delivers, and allowing those expectations to go unchecked stores up problems for everyone. A good trustee helps beneficiaries appreciate what they have gained: the benefits culture, productivity and independence that go well beyond the financial.
We know that employee ownership builds endurable, profitable businesses because we have built and led them ourselves. The best outcome for employees is a successful business. That’s what we’re here to help you build.
Talk to a trustee
Not sure where to start? We’re here to help. Whether you are a founder contemplating an EOT, a beneficiary setting up your first trust board, an employee representative or an established EOT looking for a new trustee, we’re happy to share our experience as you consider what’s next.