Last week staff from both our offices gathered in the Grade 1 Listed landscape of Birkenhead Park outside the award-winning Visitor Centre the practice designed in 2005 to celebrate Ainsley Gommon Architects transfer to Employee Ownership.
We are delighted to announce that we became an employee-owned practice on 31 March 2023, when we established an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) that now holds 100% of the company’s share capital for the benefit of our employees.
This transition ensures a sustainable future for the company that enhances opportunities for all employees to develop their careers and for senior staff to progress to be future leaders of the practice without having to personally fund the purchase of shares.
The daily running of the business continues as before and the Directors of Ainsley Gommon Architects remain the same, with the one exception that Mark French stood down from the Board on completion but remains as a senior manager and Principal Architect.
Reflecting on the journey to Employee Ownership (EO), Mark explained that the Directors had been looking for a long time at how best to plan for the future of the business, but the pandemic had delayed the process:
“We tried hard to facilitate a succession plan involving the gradual sale of shares to senior staff, but this proved unaffordable. We didn’t want to sell the business outright to a third party, as we had seen other practices bought out by larger companies and closed down within a few years, which is not what we wanted for our staff.
“Then in October 2021, I attended a Royal Society of Architects webinar presented by Cwmpas where another practice explained their journey into EO. It was a ‘lightbulb moment’ and I couldn’t wait to tell my fellow Directors, as Employee Ownership seemed to be perfectly aligned with our practice culture and values.
Mark added:
“I know a lot of companies say it, but we really do regard our colleagues at AGA as a family and want the best for each other and EO encapsulates that ethos. We hope that being Employee Owned will also make us attractive when recruiting new staff.”
Associate Tom McEvoy said of the EO transition:
“It feels like a natural progression for us really. I joined AGA on my placement from university in 2005 and then got a job here when I qualified, so to now have a proper stake in the company is great. I am really looking forward to what the future holds at AGA.”
Associate Director, Arwyn Lloyd added:
“The EOT will ensure the business will be run in the best interests of the employees and gives staff a clearer understanding of the long-term future of the practice. It will allow for greater employee engagement and reinforce the values-led office culture.”
Tom and Arwyn have both been appointed as employee representatives on the Board of the EOT.
As an SME based in Wales, AGA received support and advice on its EO transition from Social Business Wales (SBW), which was delivered by Cwmpas.
Branwen Ellis and Paul Cantrill of Cwmpas hosted helpful online engagement sessions, giving clear presentations followed by Q&A sessions with all AGA staff. The practice is very grateful for the valuable support received over the 18 months process of transition to EO.
Director Simon Venables said:
“We see the transfer to an EOT as a great opportunity for all our staff to share in the success and prosperity of the practice while participating more fully in the running of the company at every level.”
Thanks go out to all those who have helped to make this possible, particularly EO advisers Branwen Ellis and Paul Cantrill of Cwmpas. Also, tax advisers Azets, and solicitors Darwin Gray and Berry Smith, who have all been excellent throughout the process and ensured our transfer to an Employee Ownership Trust was completed on time as planned.
We recognised that completing the EOT transaction is only the start of our Employee Ownership journey and we still have a lot to learn, but this is an exciting new era for the practice, and we look forward to a happy and successful future, working collaboratively with our clients and consultant partners.
Mark French, Principal Architect
15/06/2023
