When our business became employee owned 10 years ago, and for a number of years after, we did not know who our peer businesses were in the local area and we had minimal opportunities to learn and share with others around us. Those in the EO community know how valuable it is to have these opportunities, and how isolating it can be to not have them.
The employee ownership association (eoa) do a fantastic job of convening the conversation for employee ownership nationally, and we value them and their events so much, but we felt we had enough experience, contacts and recognition in the South West to create our own conference event to support this region specifically.
That is why, alongside Paradigm Norton and The Peloton, we created the inaugural South West Employee Ownership Conference. Taking place on Thursday 15 October 2026.
The Growth of Employee Ownership in the South West
There are more than 200 employee owned businesses in the South West (Data from EOA and WRCEO, UK EO Business register, November 2025 edn) and this number continues to rise as the sector expands.
The South West, comparative to other larger urban regions, appears to punch above its population weight by company count, as visualised by the eoa in their advocacy pack.
We could infer that one of the reasons for this is that the South West has a strong concentration of purpose-led, SME, professional service and owner-managed businesses – for which employee ownership has seemed to suit.
The more businesses transitioning to this model, in relative proximity to each other, raises the demand for collaboration, knowledge sharing and expert support. As the model matures and experience of successful transitions grows, businesses considering employee ownership are becoming increasingly aware of how much they need to learn and prepare for.
To meet this need, we try to do our part by running a virtual monthly employee ownership knowledge share, a quarterly in-person EO leaders forum and an annual EO client celebration and workshop. We hope an annual conference will go further.
The Gap I Kept Seeing
The first of those offerings, our virtual monthly employee ownership knowledge share, I started three years ago after returning from my first eoa conference – where my mind was blown with new information and connections. The day after I got back, it was crystal clear how valuable that experience had been, and how long I’d have to wait for it to take place again…
So, we started those sessions to allow people to learn from others, share their experience, and facilitate conversations between peers in EO businesses that otherwise would not happen.
Fast forward three years, add in more businesses becoming employee owned, sprinkle over that a greater need for education and guidance and the time seemed right to host a conference for businesses in the Southwest (with anyone of course welcome to attend from further afield).
One sentiment, shared by a number of different people, has kept coming back to me as we’ve been developing the event. That sentiment is that it can be lonely for businesses transitioning to EO if you don’t have others around you to speak to. That has been our experience too.
Why a Regional Conference Matters
I felt that a regional South West Employee Ownership Conference was important for two main reasons:
Firstly, accessibility. In the South West, especially Cornwall, it can be a long way to have to travel to access an employee ownership event – add on top of that the price to travel and the time that colleagues need to take out of the business and it can be a big challenge.
Secondly, relatability and connection. Each part of the country has its own uniqueness across many variables. Business is no different. Providing a space where likeminded and similarly geographically experienced people can meet, connect and learn from each other is essential.
And then beyond that our event caters to both those already employee owned and at different stages of the journey, as well as those considering employee ownership.
What Attendees Can Expect
Broadly, attendees to the conference can expect:
- Keynotes from leading South West EO businesses,
- Open, peer-led conversations,
- Sessions exploring growth, governance and long-term success,
- Insights from businesses at different stages of the EO journey, and
- Plenty of time for networking and informal discussion
But several pieces I’d like to pull out would be:
- If you are considering employee ownership for your business and learning more about whether it is the right option, you will hear from a former owner on exactly what it is going to feel like, from a member of a leadership team on what they wish they had known and been given ahead of the transition, and from two employee owners of the year (me being one of them) on how you can help your employees to start thinking and acting more like owners.
- If you are already employee owned but in the early stages then you are going to hear about how to go about communicating the tough stuff to your workforce as well as how, as a leadership team, you make a success of this new thing called employee ownership when you may never have encountered it before.
- And if you are a more mature employee owned business then you are going to hear about life after paying off the deferred consideration and the common characteristics for developing a high-performance culture.
All for just £30.
Looking Ahead
My personal experience is that employee ownership can be the vehicle for immense positive change for a business and its people. But it does not happen by default. The more we learn from and share with others the more likely we are to find the right path forward for our businesses.
My hope for the conference is that it is a hit, that it provides a lot of value and that we can run it annually.
My larger hope is that we can play some role in supporting our local businesses across the South West to leverage the opportunity that employee ownership can provide, and that they can be the case studies to raise awareness of the model to other businesses.
I hope to see you in October. South West Employee Ownership Conference tickets.