SCOTLAND'S Employee Ownership Specialists

Carole Leslie of Ownership Associates UK has been working closely with Aspire Housing & Personal Development Services over the past few years, culminating in our organisation transitioning to Employee Ownership”. Throughout this process, Carole has provided unstinting support and her wealth of knowledge and experience in this field has been of great value to Aspire. Without hesitation, we would highly recommend Carole to any organisation contemplating Employee Ownership… or even tentatively curious about exploring its considerable potential benefits in taking conventionally structured companies onto another level.

Peter Millar

Chief Executive, Aspire Housing & Personal Development Services

Becoming an Employee Owned Company is, to all intents and purposes, a sale of your company. While there are many accountants and solicitors with years of experience in doing this, Employee Ownership is still a relatively new concept and full of unique aspects that most of them are unfamiliar with. I picked Ownership Associates to steer me through that process because they not only have many years of experience specialising in the EO transition process, but a proven track record in doing so. They have a pool of accountants and solicitors you can choose from who also have experience in the EO process, or if you want to stick with your own, they can guide them through the process. I know if I had tried to do Employee Ownership without the expertise of Ownership Associates to steer me through the nuances, some of these nuances would undoubtedly have become pitfalls or costly mistakes.

Gordon Coulter

CEO, Exmos

When the decision was made to make the step to Employee Ownership it was a very easy call to make to get in touch with Carole Leslie of Ownership[ Associates to expertly guide myself and the 7N Architects team through the process. I’ve known Carole for over 20 years and I regard her as the leading expert, facilitator and advocate on Employee Ownership in Scotland. She led a comprehensive series of workshops with the whole team which covered everything from preparing a purpose statement for the Employee Ownership Trust to exploring the nuances of governance using a range of scenarios. I would recommend that any businesses that are considering Employee Ownership should talk to Carole.

Ewan Anderson

Founding Director, 7N Architects

When we decided to look into moving to Employee Ownership Carole was recommended as the person to speak to. I have to say this was the best piece of advice we received during the whole process as we found Carole’s expertise invaluable. She helped us through every stage of the process; from answering the questions we had at outset, working alongside our accountant and solicitor whilst they prepared the necessary documentation and in the communication to the staff prior to the EOT being established. As I said to Carole when we completed the deal I don’t know how we would have done it without her and I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Steven Forbes

Managing Director, Alan Steel Asset Management

Carole has been an invaluable source to Stewartry Care for many years with her vast knowledge and experience of Employee Ownership and Governance, she has supported Directors and Trustee's in the past and continues to guide people who are new to this role, she has helped establish one of the best environments / cultures to work in and is well respected by our Employee Owners. Carole has been influential in achieving our high levels of employee engagement and the company's continued success.

Debbie

Managing Director, Stewartry Care

Carole helped us through the sale of the Union Group to an EOT. The advice, guidance and common-sense approach she offered was outstanding. She not only helped the exiting founders, but was also key in advising and helping our management team taking over the leadership of the business. On top of this she was helpful in discussions and debates with our accountants and lawyers. She was invaluable in assisting us with the set-up of our trust board, which involved help with finding an independent Chair. Given her immense experience of over 150 employee-ownership deals, she has a wealth best practice to share. My only advice is that if you are thinking of going down the EOT route, get Carole involved sooner rather than later. Thank you, Carole!

Ian McAteer

Ian McAteer, co-founder of the Union Group of companies

Ownership Associates guided and moved us through the fairly technical process of crafting the details of the Employee Ownership Trust, and patiently explained the various legal, financial and tax requirements and benefits of the model that we created together. They were the essential catalyst between our lawyers, accountants and ourselves. Moving forwards they will remain available to make sure the whole process moves on smoothly and successfully, a very reassuring team to have behind us!

Dougal Phillip

New Hopetoun Gardens

We consider ourselves very fortunate to have been introduced to Carole as we contemplated our EOT transition. Carole is so personable and enthusiastic. From day 1 we felt comfortable with her and she comes with great credibility because of the high proportion of companies she has supported to become EOTs. She has fantastic knowledge and experience, not just about EOTs but about companies, their leadership styles & corporate governance in general . Carole is an excellent mentor and sounding board. She often offers an alternative option where one is needed to progress the transfer to employee ownership, and she clearly draws on her extensive experience in order to be able to offer that guidance. Carole’s communication skills are very impressive. She looks perfectly happy in front of a group of employees who she has just met. Her passion is infectious and this helps everyone in the room to relax. She is generous with her time and pro-actively makes herself available equally to talk to a single employee who seeks re-assurance about a change of ownership, or a team meeting where more clarification is requested. She offered us great support also in our written communications with all stakeholders. She made a complicated topic very easy for everyone to understand. This was crucial as we sought to re-assure both our employees and our customers that this was a change which was positive and advantageous for both. For any company looking to make this move, I would encourage them to approach Carole before they embark on this process. She will smooth the path and help them to make it happen with minimal heartache.

Anne-Marie Dunn

Director, Kidzcare

We were introduced to Carole and Alan by our accountant, Paul Martin of McLay, McAlister & McGibbon. Once we decided the EOT was the route we wanted to take, the process was straightforward. Carole, Alan and Paul, working with Nicholas Howie of Lindsays, delivered a seamless, professional transaction that exceeded our expectations in terms of outcome and timescales. Bill, Linda and I are convinced we have chosen the right path and the reaction of our employees, and our customers, confirms that. I would recommend this team to any company looking to implement an Employee's Ownership Trust — EOT.

Brian Crombie

Founder, Wetrooms International

Our experience of working with Carole in our Employee Ownership journey can be summed up in one sentence – we can’t imagine having done it or completed it without her. Carole was with us every step of the way – recommending and advising on advisors for us to work with, working with our staff in explaining employee ownership and guiding us through the legal side of the required documentation. She went above and beyond throughout the whole process. Since completion, Carole has become a valuable Non-Executive Director with our Company – she helped shape our future Management Team and even found us a new Managing Director to allow both Shona and I to step back from the day to day running of the company and enjoy our retirement. I could not recommend Carole highly enough.

Angus Knight

Chairman, Mediascape