The theme running through this year’s eoaLive! event, EO Day, and UK EO Awards is Owning It. It continues the ‘Owning the Future’ thread from last year’s eoa Annual Conference and offers a bold declaration for the sector.
It’s all part of our mission to mainstream employee ownership, propelling the sector to a stretch goal of 10,000 businesses by 2030 via our UK EO Growth Strategy.
“Since becoming Chief Executive of the eoa in 2022, I’ve looked forward to the UK EO Awards more and more each year. It’s one of the rare moments in the calendar where the EO sector comes together under the spotlight to celebrate shared success and showcase the people and businesses that are truly Owning It,” says James de le Vingne, Chief Executive of the eoa.
“Regardless of size or sector, the awards bring us together with a pride and joy that continues to be a privilege to be part of. I can’t wait to read through all the nominations but, if previous years are anything to go by, it’s going to be almost impossible picking winners from such strong submissions.”
David Howden CBE, Founder and CEO, Howden, said: “I love employee ownership and we’re proud to have been a part of the eoa as a Trustee member for the past few years. We’re especially delighted to be sponsors of the UK Employee Ownership Awards for 2026.
“As an employee owned business, we’ve witnessed the magic of employee ownership up close, and we know all about its unique ability to attract the best talent. Which is why I can’t wait to hear all the incredible success stories shaping this sector and celebrating the nominees and winners later this year.”