Leeds-based digital marketing agency Engage Interactive has announced its transition to becoming employee owned, with 100 percent of the shareholding being transferred to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).
The new EOT status is a significant milestone in the 17-year journey of Engage and is a decision taken by founder and managing director, Alex Willcocks, to preserve the agency’s values and culture whilst acting as a catalyst for future growth.
The move follows a strong period of growth at the agency, after winning a record breaking number of new clients last year and completing the 2023/24 financial year with 17 new business wins.
The new ownership structure is rooted in Engage’s longstanding commitment to their people and the core values that also drove it to become Leeds’ first certified B Corp in 2021.
Willcocks explains: “The decision to pass the business into the hands of the team isn’t just about ownership. I believe in the talent, creativity, and passion that each person in the team brings to the table and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve now everyone has a meaningful stake in our future success.
“The move to employee ownership makes us ‘people powered’ in the truest possible sense, through an equitable business model that’s for the benefit of everyone vs a minority group of shareholders, and structured to create a more motivating and rewarding work environment for all.”
All team members will participate in the EOT and the operations board at the Leeds agency will remain unchanged, with the addition of two employee voted representatives. A new board of trustees will also be formed to represent the best interests of the employees as a whole.
Alex will continue as the managing director and Founder Trustee, alongside Sanjeevni Dip-Matadeen who will become the trustee’s Employee Representative and Engage’s co-founder Dave Wrightson who will rejoin the business from retirement, as Independent Trustee.
Dave adds: “This ownership transformation signifies a huge chapter in Engage’s evolution. After playing a defining role in shaping Engage into the business it is today and the values upon which it’s built, I’m excited to get stuck into my role as independent trustee.”
