The UK Employee Ownership Awards 2017 are open for entries

The UK Employee Ownership Awards, which celebrate the significant contribution employee owned businesses (EOBs) make to the UK economy, are now open for entries.

And this year they’re back with a new award The Employee Owned Positive Impact of the Year which celebrates pioneering, positive or lasting impact generated by employee owned businesses, over and above their financial performance.

This adds to the 5 UK EO awards which recognise the productivity, innovation and excellence driven by teams and individuals in EOBs, which demonstrate how employees having a stake in the business teamed with a robust culture of transparency and employee engagement often result in outstanding performance in growth and resilience.

Managed by the Employee Ownership Association, the accolades will be sponsored again in 2017 by leading EOA member Baxendale, an EOB specialising in providing support to, and raising finance for, employee owned businesses, public service mutuals and social enterprises.

This year sees the introduction of a new award that celebrates the social impact of employee owned businesses alongside the original five categories:

  • Employee Owned Business of the Year – the award for well established employee owned businesses, focusing on brilliant performance in the sector.
  • Employee Owned Positive Impact of the Year Award celebrates pioneering, positive or lasting impact generated by employee owned businesses, over and above their financial performance.
  • Employee Owned Rising Star of the Year recognises the success of an organisation that has been employee owned for fewer than three years with a strong culture of employee ownership
  • Employee Owner of the Year celebrates an individual, irrespective of their seniority who is as true champion of employee ownership within their organisation.
  • Employee Owned Innovation of the Year celebrates the most compelling example of innovation within an employee owned organisation.
  • Philip Baxendale Fellowship Award celebrates an individual who has in the past made, or is currently making, an outstanding contribution to the growth of employee ownership in the UK.

 

The UK Employee Ownership Awards will be presented at the EOA Gala Dinner on the first evening of the EOA Annual Conference on 27 November 2017 at the Hilton Metropole Hotel Birmingham.

CEO of the EOA Deb Oxley said: “We’re once again looking forward hearing the stories of success that demonstrate the relevance of employee ownership as a robust business model making a significant contribution to the UK economy – more than £30bn.

“The awards recognise the productivity, innovation and excellence driven by teams and individuals in employee owned businesses (EOBs), which alongside employees having a stake in the business also demonstrate a robust culture of employee engagement that often sees them outperforming their peers in growth and resilience.

“I would like to thank our sponsors Baxendale for its continued support of the awards and encourage as many employee owned businesses as possible to share their stories of success by applying for the awards.”

Baxendale Managing Director, Campbell McDonald, says: “Now more than ever our economy needs businesses that are outstanding in every way. Employee owned businesses innovate and out-perform the competition by putting people at the heart of their approach.

“Done right, employee ownership can transform not just the bottom line, but also workforce culture, corporate behaviour and community impact. As public trust in boardroom ethics drops ever lower, the country is crying out for more businesses that create a wider positive impact in our economy and society.”

This year’s judges:

Ewan Hall, Director, Baxendale
Anne Segall, Chief Executive,
BMT Group Ltd Simon Holman, Partner,
Castlefield Partners Limited Jane Burgess, Partners’ Counsellor, John Lewis Partnership
Patrick Burns, Non-Exec Director, the eaga Trust & The EOA
Beth Carruthers, Non-Exec Director, Remploy Ltd
Sue Rowlands, Director, Tibbalds Planning & Urban Design Ltd
Andrew Pendleton, White Rose Employee Ownership Centre
JeanClaude Pierre, CEO, Scott Bader

For more information visit our awards webpage