CEO Blog: Wrapping Up 2024

In his last blog of the year, our Chief Exec, James de le Vingne, looks back at the biggest, best, and busiest year in eoa history.

Image: James de le Vingne, Chief Exec of the eoa, with a few highlights on 2024

Bold New Brand and Award-Winning Digital Transformation

Since launching in 1979, the eoa has undergone many different iterations with branding to match.

When designing our new look and platform, we wanted to reflect and support the pioneering and innovative EO sector – and the eoa’s shift from making the case for employee ownership – to an instantly recognisable central hub of best practice for the UK’s EO sector.

So, while I’m grateful to everything that’s come before, our bold and iconic new branding is testament to what we’ve built together and our ambition for the sector to become part of the economic mainstream.

But it wasn’t just our website and brand. We underwent an entire digital transformation, which included new member systems and eo Hub.

I’ll be the first to admit our former Hub wasn’t up to scratch. That’s why we ensured our new community platform launched in the best possible place to grow in line with our membership’s evolving needs.

Not only do we have well over 2,000 active members, but we also won a ‘Digital Transformation’ award thanks to our significant digital overhaul.

I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together as the epicentre of Great EO in action. We’ve got even more exciting things in the pipeline to keep building on these successes.

Significant Policy Success - eoa Manifesto

Earlier this year, we unveiled the eoa Manifesto following extensive research and collaboration with our members and partners with a focus to incentivise, support, and unlock the potential of EO in the UK economy. 

Since then, we’ve welcomed a new government into No. 10 and it’s clear that EO aligns with Government missions. First with their manifesto pledge to double the size of the Cooperatives and Mutuals sector, then, in the Autumn Budget, we welcomed confirmation that the employee ownership trust (EOT) has been futureproofed through reforms.

These reforms closely reflect recommendations we developed with members and stakeholders that informed our consultation response and Manifesto.

As we move into a new year, we’ll continue to work with Government on its commitment to a Mutuals and Cooperative Business Council and make sure EO is well represented. 

We’ll also keep leveraging existing EO businesses insights and networks to dial up their evidenced positive impacts to people and society, the environment, and the economy.

A Decade of the EOT and Hitting 10k EOBs

I’ve already mentioned the EOT above, but it deserves its own section. After all, 2024 could just as easily be named the ‘Year of the EOT.’

It’s been a remarkable decade since the EOT first gained royal ascent. Back then, the UK’s EO sector had only 152 medium-to-large EO businesses. Now, it boasts over 2,000 businesses of all sizes. 

When I first joined the eoa in 2022, the sector had just hit the 1,000 businesses milestone. I remember thinking then what it would take to create twice the growth in half the time.

For anyone who saw my opening speech at this year’s eoa Annual Conference, you’ll know I’m adamant this sector can achieve amazing things and reach even greater heights.

I believe whole-heartedly EO can hit 3% of the total UK business landscape. At current projections, that’s 10,000 businesses in the next five years.

Ambitious? Yes, absolutely. But a few short years ago, reaching 2,000 seemed ambitious too.

Appointing Our First eoa Ambassador

‘Small but mighty’ is how I like to describe the eoa team. It’s jaw-dropping what the team can accomplish (just look at the eoa Annual Conference). But we can’t be everywhere at once – especially when it comes to EO on an international scale.

That’s why, back in April, we appointed our first ever International Ambassador in Graeme Nuttall OBE with a focus on raising awareness for EO on a global scale and developing and promoting international best practice.

So far, we’ve seen Graeme help support the growth of the EOT in Australia, Denmark, and Ireland. And we’re only just getting started. We’ve got a dedicated page for our international activity where we’ll be pooling all our activity.

What a Year for Events

It’s been an exceptional year for eoa events. And that’s not just me being biased.

Back in February, hundreds of you attended the twelfth annual Robert Oakeshott Lecture. This year, it was delivered by Matthew Taylor, CEO of the NHS Confederation, on the topic of how good work is necessary for people, business, and the economy.

You can still watch the full lecture here. For 2025, the lecture is moving to June. We’ve not announced the speaker yet, but I’ll just say, you won’t want to miss this.

On the same day, we also hosted our Trustee Member Dinner at 116 Pall Mall in London, home of our partner, the IoD.

It’s always a great evening that brings together members that underpin everything the eoa does, making it possible for us to keep growing the sector’s reach and influence. I can’t wait for the dinner to return in 2025.

There are also our ongoing in-person events. I like to think of our EO Exchanges as mini conferences. They’re based around a topic or theme, feature Q&As, networking, knowledge sharing, breakout conversations, and more. 

It’s always great to pick up on the regional quirks of EO businesses, as well as bringing the sector together all over the UK. We’ve got a great slate of EO Exchanges coming up in Scotland, London, and my own stomping ground of Manchester. I hope to see plenty of you there.

Biggest and Best eoa Annual Conference to Date

I’ve already mentioned the eoa Annual Conference a few times. But did you really think it wouldn’t get its own section? After all, it was our biggest and best to date with over 100 speakers, almost thirty exhibitors, and 864 attendees.

It’s always a privilege to address the UK’s single biggest EO gathering. There’s nothing quite like seeing you all in the same space and getting to chat to you in person to see just how far we’ve come as a sector.

You can read my takeaways in a reflections blog I posted after the event. But what I’ve loved most over the last few weeks is hearing all your takeaways – especially the top five we picked out and published.

We’re already planning next year’s conference, and we don’t want you to miss a thing. That’s why we’ve created a priority list you can join to be the first to hear when tickets go live.

The conference also provided the backdrop for this year’s UK Employee Ownership Awards. It was great to be back on the judging panel for another year.  But it wasn’t easy. 

With almost seventy entries – and all of them excellent – it was hard enough picking a shortlist, never mind winners. But there’s no feeling quite like revealing those winners live on the night.

Celebrating the Sector with EO Day

It was brilliant to see #ProudlyEO being activated throughout EO Day 2024. It’ll probably come as no surprise (as it’s been a theme of this whole blog), but it was the loudest, most diverse EO Day to date.

In fact, we enjoyed a campaign with an estimated reach of 2.1 million from March to July – 80% on the big day itself. 

EO Day is always one of my favourite days of the year. It’s a great opportunity to see how so many different businesses embody their EO and how whole teams get stuck in.

I’ve seen what the team are planning for 2025 and I’m already excited to share it with you. 

Boosting Sector Knowledge with eo Learn

Along with our new branding, we also launched a bold new identity and direction for our learning portfolio, eo Learn.

260+ of you attended courses over the last twelve months. 108 for our Employee Trustee / Director course alone! Since launching in 2022, 450+ people have attended the course. I’m know that number’s only going to rise.

We’ve got some amazing courses coming up – just visit our interactive brochure to find the right date for you. As one leads onto another, I doubt you’ll be able to stop at one.

Supporting Scottish EO

As well as hosting in-person EO events in Scotland, the eoa remains committed to actively supporting the Scottish EO sector. 

We were part of a review group for the ‘Developing Scotland’s Economy: Increasing the Role of Inclusive and Democratic Business Models (IDBMs)’ report released earlier the year. 

The report outlines how tripling inclusive and democratic businesses (IDBMs) in Scotland by 2034 can transform the economy. Key actions include embedding IDBMs into Scotland’s economic strategy, creating an Economic Democracy Group, and investing in data, awareness, training, and support.

In collaboration with Social Enterprise Scotland and Cooperatives UK, we also launched a new award recognising IDBMs’ social, community, and environmental impact. In November, media co-op, a women-led workers' co-op, was revealed as the winner.

We also have a dedicated and growing community for Scottish EO businesses over on the eo Hub. It’s a great place to build connections and chat about best practice, policy, and any updates facing the sector.

Elsewhere in the UK, regional EO sectors are gaining momentum. Wales has exceeded its EO growth target while conversations about EO in NI are hotting up. 

Here’s to 2025