Government appoints new adviser on employee ownership

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Government appoints new adviser on employee ownership

Norman Lamb, the newly appointed business minister, today announced that Graeme Nuttall has been appointed the government’s independent adviser on employee ownership.

The appointment follows the deputy prime minister’s announcement in January of a new government drive to introduce the concept of employee ownership into the mainstream British economy.

Lamb is leading the cross-Whitehall work to investigate how government can support this business model. Nuttall’s role is advisory, part-time and unpaid and will initially run for three months.

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Evidence suggests that employee-ownership models can make a real difference to staff engagement, which in turn generates innovation, increased productivity, lower absenteeism, better industrial relations and improved business performance.

Nuttall, a partner at law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse with extensive experience in this field, will work with government to "identify the barriers to employee ownership and help find the solutions to knock them down". He will make his final recommendations to government in a report presented to Norman Lamb in the summer.

A final word

“This is a great opportunity to give employee ownership business models the prominence they deserve, and to do so on a lasting basis for the benefit of the British economy.” - Graeme Nuttall.

Want to know more?

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is now seeking views from employee owned businesses and other stakeholders, for discussion with Graeme Nuttall, on:

  • Specific regulatory barriers or other disincentives to employee ownership.

  • Whether more can be done to raise awareness of employee ownership as a business model.

  • Appropriate incentives to facilitate employee ownership.

  • The most efficient way of becoming employee-owned.

Interested parties can contribute to the discussion by emailing EmployeeOwnership@bis.gsi.gov.uk.

For more information on employee ownership models visit www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-law/docs/g/11-1401-guide-mutual-ownership-models.pdf.