Chair: James de le Vingne, Head of Development Unit, Co-operatives UK Contributors: Keely Lead, Head of Communications and Marketing, Employee Ownership Association Ross Hodgson, Member, SUMA Co-operative Sarah Halton, Co-founder, Tangerine Comms This session will explore expanding employee and worker ownership through start-ups and conversions. The “Co-ops Unleashed” report by the New Economics Foundation suggests that around 120,000 family-run enterprises in the UK expect to undergo a transfer of ownership in the next three years. If just 5% of these businesses were supported to make the transition to co-operative ownership, then the number of businesses in the sector would almost double. Meanwhile, government has encouraged 120,000 people to go it alone in business through the New Enterprise Allowance since 2011. So how can we expand employee and worker ownership? What are the key issues involved? How can the #OneMillionOwners campaign and affiliate programmes support the growth of this kind of enterprise? James is the Head of Co-operatives UK Development Unit. He is interested in new ways of organising and ownership, and how this informs systems change with a focus on tech solutions. Recent work involves One Million Owners, a campaign to increase worker ownership across the UK, launching Level, a new business registration platform of sole traders looking to work co-operatively, and UnFound, a platform co-op accelerator. Keely Lead is the Head of Communications and Marketing for the Employee Ownership Association, responsible for positioning the EOA as the leading UK voice on employee ownership with members, stakeholders and influencers. Keely, joined the EOA after leading communications for the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and Hull City Council’s Regeneration and Culture Directorate, including the Media Relations for Green Port Hull and Hull’s City of Culture Bid. Ross Hodgson has worked at Suma for over a decade, holding several roles there, and is currently the Company Secretary. Suma is the largest worker cooperative in the country and also the largest completely equal pay organisation in the country. Ross was heavily involved in Suma’s recent governance changes to now involve a member council. He currently also sits on the Worker Coop Council and the Cooperatives UK Board. Following a degree in media and communications, Sarah started her PR career in 1996. She is co-founder of multi award-winning social media, PR and comms agency Tangerine, which launched in 2002 and now employs more than 60 people at its Manchester HQ. Sarah played a key role in taking Tangerine into Employee Ownership in July 2017 and, as chair of its Board of Trustees, has continued to champion the agency’s Employee Owned status and shape its unique culture. Tangerine works with leading national and international brands including Pizza Hut, Specsavers, Ideal Standard, Vimto and M&S Bank, across all comms platforms, combining strategic thinking with creative content to change the way people think and behave on and offline.
Chair: James de le Vingne, Head of Development Unit, Co-operatives UK Contributors: Keely Lead, Head of Communications and Marketing, Employee Ownership Association Ross Hodgson, Member, SUMA Co-operative Sarah Halton, Co-founder, Tangerine Comms This session will explore expanding employee and worker ownership through start-ups and conversions. The “Co-ops Unleashed” report by the New Economics Foundation suggests that around 120,000 family-run enterprises in the UK expect to undergo a transfer of ownership in the next three years. If just 5% of these businesses were supported to make the transition to co-operative ownership, then the number of businesses in the sector would almost double. Meanwhile, government has encouraged 120,000 people to go it alone in business through the New Enterprise Allowance since 2011. So how can we expand employee and worker ownership? What are the key issues involved? How can the #OneMillionOwners campaign and affiliate programmes support the growth of this kind of enterprise? James is the Head of Co-operatives UK Development Unit. He is interested in new ways of organising and ownership, and how this informs systems change with a focus on tech solutions. Recent work involves One Million Owners, a campaign to increase worker ownership across the UK, launching Level, a new business registration platform of sole traders looking to work co-operatively, and UnFound, a platform co-op accelerator. Keely Lead is the Head of Communications and Marketing for the Employee Ownership Association, responsible for positioning the EOA as the leading UK voice on employee ownership with members, stakeholders and influencers. Keely, joined the EOA after leading communications for the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and Hull City Council’s Regeneration and Culture Directorate, including the Media Relations for Green Port Hull and Hull’s City of Culture Bid. Ross Hodgson has worked at Suma for over a decade, holding several roles there, and is currently the Company Secretary. Suma is the largest worker cooperative in the country and also the largest completely equal pay organisation in the country. Ross was heavily involved in Suma’s recent governance changes to now involve a member council. He currently also sits on the Worker Coop Council and the Cooperatives UK Board. Following a degree in media and communications, Sarah started her PR career in 1996. She is co-founder of multi award-winning social media, PR and comms agency Tangerine, which launched in 2002 and now employs more than 60 people at its Manchester HQ. Sarah played a key role in taking Tangerine into Employee Ownership in July 2017 and, as chair of its Board of Trustees, has continued to champion the agency’s Employee Owned status and shape its unique culture. Tangerine works with leading national and international brands including Pizza Hut, Specsavers, Ideal Standard, Vimto and M&S Bank, across all comms platforms, combining strategic thinking with creative content to change the way people think and behave on and offline.