Howden Group Holdings joins the Employee Ownership Association as Trustee member

The Employee Ownership Association (EOA) today welcomes Howden Group Holdings (Howden) as a Trustee member.  Howden is ranked number six in the Employee Ownership Top 50 2021, which lists the UK’s largest employee-owned businesses by number of employees.  Howden joins other Trustee members of the EOA, including the John Lewis Partnership, Arup and Mott MacDonald.

Howden recently acquired A-Plan Group, which increased its number of employees to 8,500 globally, meaning it could be ranked number five on the list in 2022.

When the international insurance group was established in 1994, its vision was to remain independent by delivering sustainable growth whilst maintaining its culture.  26 years on, Howden now generates £1bn in revenue, has a presence in over 45 countries, and still has employee-ownership firmly at its heart.

Howden’s decision to join the EOA acknowledges the value it places on employee ownership as a key factor in its ability to build a better company and maintain a long term focus.  With employees as its single largest shareholder, Howden can take a truly ‘People First’ approach. This, it believes, helps to attract the best talent and motivates employees to deliver exceptional service to clients.

Howden joins the EOA at a buoyant time for both the association and the employee-owned sector. The EOA reached more than 500 members for the first time in the week of EO Day in June this year, with the sector also growing by more than 30% in 2020.

Deb Oxley OBE, Chief Executive of the EOA, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Howden Group Holdings as a new Trustee member of the EOA.

This commitment to being a Trustee member of the EOA demonstrates the importance the business places on its employee ownership model and belief in its ability to benefit, and support the resilience of, employees and customers.”

David Howden, CEO of Howden Group, said:

“As an entrepreneurial business, we are excited to be joining the EOA as a Trustee member. The EOA endorses a model that unlocks the potential of employees to best support the needs of clients and, in turn, create more resilient organisations.

“I started Howden 26 years ago as an employee-owned organisation because I have always believed that this approach builds a better business for the long term.  Our own model has three minority investors that sit alongside the largest shareholder group – our employees – demonstrating the flexibility employee-owned companies have and how they can grow profitably and sustainably.”