Big Group celebrates its transition to be an employee-owned business.
- “Businesses which give employees a stake and a say, build trust and shared responsibility.”
- “This independence ensures we can serve our clients without compromise.”
London, 23 June - Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) day - one of the UK’s largest independent integrated marketing agencies The Big Group, has today announced its transition to be an employee-owned business. The transition includes associated companies, Frontline Display International in Bath and Big Group BV in
Amsterdam.
The company was founded in 1991 by Nick Scott and now employs 180 people with specialist teams to activate brands, develop experiences, drive client revenue and build communities. The agency has offices in London, Amsterdam and Bath and a mission statement of “Think Big, Deliver Excellence, Side by Side”. Clients include Mastercard, FREENOW, Samsung, Lenovo, Pizza Hut Delivery, ARUP and The North Face.
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 recognise 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 trust board as 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, which is now Streamland Media following the sale process Nicky led in 2019.
Big Group 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 ethos, values, and culture of the company. 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.”
The Big Group, a three-time winner of The Drum Recommends Grand Prix Award, is recognised in the top 25 UK companies in the B-heard “Best Companies To Work For”, and holds ISO 9001 & 27001 certification. The transition to EOT status was supported by Corporate Advisors MKS and the company has established a employee council made up of five employees from across the agency locations.
Recent research produced by 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. Employee ownership is one of the fastest-growing business succession solutions in the UK where there are now more than 1000 employee-owned businesses with the sector more than doubling in the last three years.
For further information
Lucy Clifton
Spotl1ght Communications
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+44 7973 464273
Ed Riseman
Big Group
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+44 7900 056393
The fast pace of growth amongst businesses has taken off with the use of the employee ownership trust (EOT), introduced by the government in 2014 to encourage long-term employee ownership. One in every 20 private company sales is now an EOT, with The Big Group joining a network of over 1500 EOTs in the UK that include Richer Sounds, Lush Cosmetics, Arup and PA Consulting.