The first LGBTQ-certified company in the UK, big group, has announced
its transition to an employee-owned business.
— Nick Scott – Chairman
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, June 23, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) day – one of the UK’s largest independent integrated marketing agencies and the first LGBTQ-certified company in the UK, big group, has today announced its transition to an employee-owned business.
With offices in London, Amsterdam and Bath and a “Think Big, Deliver Excellence, Side by Side” mission statement, big group’s clients include Mastercard, FREE NOW, Samsung, Lenovo, Pizza Hut Delivery, ARUP and The North Face.
The company was founded in 1991 by Chairman & CEO Nick Scott and now employs 180 people with specialist teams in brand activation, creative, digital, events, performance, retail, social and strategy.
Announcing big group’s new EOT status, Nick said: “The decision to transition was driven by a desire to maintain the company’s independence and recognize the commitment and talents of its employees.
“We are fortunate to have a successful and well-run company with a very talented team. We have not been short of approaches over the last few years, but the EOT route felt right for us and our values. The EOT will provide the foundation for our next stages of growth and the many exciting opportunities that we know lay ahead.”
83% of the business is now owned by the Big Group Holdings Trust, and Nicky Sargent, BAFTA Award Winner, joins the trustee board as a non-executive director. After a 30-year career in Television services, including being a board director of The TV Corporation plc and Founder of The Farm Group, a JV with WPP, now Streamland Media following the sale process Nicky led in 2019.
big group’s management remains unchanged.
On the announcement, James de le Vingne, Chief Executive of the Employee Ownership Association (EOA), said: “We congratulate The Big Group on its transition to employee ownership; securing the company’s ethos, values, and culture. Businesses that give employees a stake and a say build trust and shared responsibility, uniting leaders and employees behind a common purpose and leaving businesses in a better position to flex and adapt.”
big group is a 3-time winner of The Drum Recommends Grand Prix Award, is recognised in the top 30 UK marketing agencies in the B-heard “Best Companies to Work For”, holds ISO 9001, 27001 and 45001 certifications and recently joined the UN Climate Neutral Now pledge.
big group became the UK’s first formally certified LGBTQ majority owned business in 2021 through Outbritain, the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce and UK affiliate of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce based in Washington DC, USA
Employee ownership is one of the fastest-growing business succession solutions in the UK, where there are now more than 1000 employee-owned businesses, and the sector has more than doubled in the last three years. Recent researchby the Employee Ownership Association reveals that EOT businesses outperform private companies. Profits are shared equally and widely across the entire business, with opportunities for more staff to be involved as EOT
companies grow.
edward riseman
big group
[email protected]
