eoaLive! Featuring the UK EO Awards 2026

Breakout Session 2a: A Good Job - How EO helps Grow Personal and Community Wealth

Employee ownership is a fantastic tool for social mobility, giving employees a stake and a say in a business they might not usually be able to access.   Where else could an apprentice become CEO of a global business? Or a cleaner receive a bonus payment for a job well done? Or a founder hand over control of their business to the very people who made it a success? In this session, two eoa members share how they’ve helped their employees into good jobs with fair wages, supported their professional development, and provided jobs in disadvantaged and underserved communities.   From careers support and education programmes to inclusive recruitment, apprenticeships, training, mentoring, and more – you’ll come away inspired with ideas to influence the careers and lives of the employees within your EO business.

 

What You’ll Learn 

  • How different EOBs have developed and implemented social mobility programmes to recruit and train employees from a range of backgrounds 
  • The different types of career pathways at EOBs and how employees are encouraged to develop knowledge of the business and have a voice 
  • Why EO is important to create jobs in communities and how you can get involved in local schemes 

Speakers 

Michael Hodgson, Chairman, GLIDE / Katrina Richie, Group People & Culture Director, Gripple 

Pat Brennan, Independent Trustee Director & Chair, CleanTEC 
Category
Breakout Session 2
When
10/06/2026 15:30 - 16:20
GMT Daylight Time

Speakers

Expr1
Michael Hodgson

Michael Hodgson

Loadhog Limited

SPEAKER

Chair of GLIDE, the employee ownership board representing shareholders at Gripple, Loadhog & GoTools. GLIDE is a unique approach to employee ownership and the organisation proudly representing three manufacturing businesses, headquartered in South Yorkshire and with sites in more than 20 countries around the world - Gripple Ltd, Loadhog Ltd and GoTools. Employee ownership (EO) means having a stake in the business, and a meaningful say in how it's run. It's a fantastic opportunity to shape the business we want, and be empowered by the challenge and responsibility that brings. We have a 'direct' model of employee ownership, meaning every single person in our business is required to invest in shares and own their company. This means we all have a vested interest in driving success and improvement across all areas of our business. The GLIDE board comprises 50 elected representatives, representing over 1,000 members located across our global locations. Our purpose is to: - Protect and enhance a unique culture of shared ownership, innovation, and manufacturing excellence - Hold our member businesses to account on key performance principles such as sustainable growth, new product development, people development and community support - Share the benefits of share dividend income with our members, through a range of social, wellbeing and development opportunities - Protect the businesses; ensure they always stay in the hands of our employee owners We are part of a growing sector of employee owned businesses worldwide, and our member businesses are trustee members of the Employee Ownership Association in the UK. I also currently hold the position of co-chair of the Employee Membership Council, which exists to represent the views of the EOA membership network and support the EOA to deliver an even more compelling membership proposition. If you're exploring EO as a succession option for your business, you've just started on the journey and are looking for guidance, or you're in a well established EO business and keen to share your experience, please feel free to contact me. We're always happy to share our story and to learn from other EO businesses.
Patrick Brennan

Patrick Brennan

Cleantec Services Ltd

SPEAKER

Patrick is the Independent Trustee Director of CleanTEC Services, an industry leading contract cleaning company with over 2,000 employees across the country. CleanTEC has come to specialise in the education sector but now serves an increasingly wide variety of commercial and public sector organisations and has done for over 20 years. He chairs the EOT Board. Patrick joined the business when it transitioned to employee ownership in March 2021 and has been involved in helping to put in place the governance and employee engagement activities including share incentive programmes to ensure everyone across the business sees the benefits of being employee owned. He has been asked by the Employee Ownership Association on three occasions to be a panel speaker at their annual conference. Patrick believes that employee ownership offers individuals a fantastic opportunity to be part of a team that invariably values their efforts and rewards aspiration. The cumulative effect of this across our economy is the development of a sector characterised by genuinely purpose led businesses providing meaningful employment and a disproportionately high level of productivity. Prior to all this, Patrick had 43-year career in banking encompassing a number of relationship and leadership roles including Barclays corporate banking team in Ireland, the corporate services team at Barclays Stockbrokers and the national head of dentistry sector banking at Virgin money. Alongside that, he was a trustee of Peace Hospice Care based in West Hertfordshire serving a full nine-year term during which he was Chair of the board for the final three years. Just recently, Pat has completed a four-year term as trustee and finance committee Chair of Bishops Stortford Museum and Arts. He is still advising the board leading a piece of work to secure funding of £3m in a transaction with the local Town Council subject to Charity Commission approval.