we've transitioned to employee ownership!
we’re over the moon to share with you that Wise is officially co-owned by its employees
what does it mean?
In a nutshell, this means that majority ownership of the company has transferred from our founder, David Wise, to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), which will own the shares on behalf of the employees of Wise Productions. David has taken the decision to establish an EOT to secure the future of Wise and ensure the well-established values and culture of the business are maintained.
We must highlight that we’re still the same company everyone has come to know and trust. We have the same team; the same company number and we’re still the same legal entity. From an external perspective, it’s very much business as usual.
Behind-the-scenes Wise is also evolving. We’re becoming more cohesive, resilient and sustainable. As a result of being employee-owned we’re also shaping a business that better reflects our co-owners’ (employees’) desires and passions, which will ultimately manifest itself in further enhancements to our services and delivery.
EO facts
We are thrilled to join a growing list of employee-owned businesses, such as Richer Sounds, John Lewis, and Aardman Animations, and would like to share some of the benefits this model of company ownership offers:
Employee-owned companies are proven to be more successful, competitive, profitable, and sustainable.
Due to their focus on employment standards and company culture, employee owned businesses are better at recruiting and retaining talented, committed staff.
Because they’re run in a transparent way, employee-owned businesses tend to have a stronger commitment to corporate social responsibility, the environment and involvement with the communities they operate in.
Companies which are employee owned now contribute over £30billion of GDP each year to the UK economy.
EO & sustainability
As an employee-owned business we have an even stronger commitment to corporate social responsibility. Our employee led ecological objectives supports Wise Productions’ leadership to champion sustainability more effectively, with ideas being generated from the ground up. We believe that this is the solution to higher standards, and results, in corporate social responsibility.
leadership changes
To support this exciting change, we have appointed a new Board of Directors, all of whom have been promoted from within the business. Please join us in congratulating Doug Wintle as Commercial Director, Jenny Woollard as Creative Director, Hannah Ferguson as Client Director, and Matt Langford as Technical Director. This team joins Managing Director, George Foden and our Chairman, David Wise.
We’re extremely excited to be embarking on this new chapter in the company’s history. We firmly believe that as co-owners who are invested in the future success of the business, our fantastic team will continue to strengthen their focus on quality, excellence and customer service, which will ultimately benefit the experience of our clients, partner venues and fellow industry suppliers.
Ultimately, we see employee-ownership as a key driver to achieve even higher standards as a group of co-owners who share common values and ambitions. Watch this space!
Jade Thatcher, Head of Strategy & Communications