International EO

Global Expansion

From established heartlands in the UK and the United States, to recent success in Canada – and a promise of more to come in Denmark and Ireland – employee ownership continues to expand around the globe. 

Whether it’s in Europe or the Americas, each country adopts its own form of EO tailored to its business landscape, culture, and regulatory frameworks and policies. 

The eoa is actively supporting this global growth with a two-pronged approach:

1. Sharing our growing body of research evidencing the benefits and best practices of EO
2. The ongoing international activity of Graeme Nuttall OBE, eoa International Ambassador, a founder of the Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership, and key driver of the employee ownership trust (EOT) model

The Power of the UK Model

The dramatic growth of UK employee ownership following the ‘Nuttall Review of Employee Ownership’ rightly shines a spotlight on the UK and what we’ve achieved and how.

Behind this success is the employee trust model. 

As the UK Government's independent adviser on employee ownership, Graeme Nuttall authored this review. This provided a policy framework to grow UK EO and gave prominence to the trust model. Because of the review, the trust model was codified in tax law in 2014 as the EOT. 

This acted as rocket fuel propelling the nascent UK employee owned sector from just over 150 businesses into quadruple figures.

In October 2024, the government future-proofed the EOT with changes in law securing its integrity and ease of use for years to come.

During the past decade, the nation’s success has fostered learning around the globe. We share our experiences for the benefit of other economies and their businesses and employees, and bring innovations into the UK, ensuring our EO policies and practices remain successful.

We also support the growing number of UK businesses with international operations that are, or wish to become, employee owned.

Research and International Activity

Our dedicated research page offers a repository of data undertaken or supported by the eoa, as well as documenting the growing body of international research on EO. Leading the latter is The Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers School of Management and Labour Relations in the US, of which Graeme and our Chief Executive, James de le Vingne, are both Executive Fellows.

Use the slider below to read articles documenting Graeme’s international activity, sharing his vast knowledge, experience, and insight, and helping support more countries enshrine EO into law.

Graeme’s role as eoa International Ambassador is voluntary and part-time. In support of this activity, he’s received a grant from our peers the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) in the US.

About Graeme

A trailblazer in employee ownership, Graeme Nuttall OBE has shaped policy and practice globally. Renowned for leading the UK Government's Nuttall Review, he pioneered the Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) model, now central to the UK EO business landscape. 

Graeme serves as International Ambassador for the eoa, a Fellow at Rutgers’ Institute for Employee Ownership, a Visiting Fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, and chair of multiple EOT trustee companies. He also spent more than thirty-five years as a Partner with eoa Specialist Advisor, Fieldfisher.

An award-winning lawyer, author, and thought leader, his lifelong advocacy has revolutionised employee ownership, earning recognition including an OBE and the ‘FT Innovative Lawyer of the Year’ award. 

He’s also a founder of the Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership, a Trustee of Nigel Mason Bequest, and a previous winner of the ‘Philip Baxendale Fellowship Award.’