Deadline approaches for employee-owned business awards

Employee-owned businesses are invited to enter the Philip Baxendale Awards, which celebrate the success of the model. Already in its eighth year, the awards have been named after...

Employee-owned businesses are invited to enter the Philip Baxendale Awards, which celebrate the success of the model. Already in its eighth year, the awards have been named after the employee ownership pioneer and founder of Baxendale, a family of employee owned businesses. They include include seven categories that will award the businesses showing the best results in terms of employee engagement, innovation or productivity. The awards also feature the Philip Bexandale Fellowship, which highlights the great contribution of a single individual to the cause of employee ownership.

Sponsored by John Lewis Partnership, the Employee Ownership Rising Star Award will provide a 12-month mentorship from JLP Partners’ Counsellor and Partners from the registry department. This will give the recipient the chance to learn from one of the UK’s most successful employee-owned enterprises. John Lewis Partnership was ranked second in Co-operative UK’s top 100 co-operatives by turnover of £9.5bn.

The ministerial Department of Business, Innovation and Skills is endorsing the Employee-Owned Business of the Year Award, which will be given to the employee-owned enterprise with the best combination of financial performance, culture development and outstanding achievements over the past 12 months.

Employees that have spun out of the public sector into an employee-led mutual organisation will also be recognised with the Public Sector Mutual of the Year Award, endorsed by the Cabinet Office.

The Employee Ownership Champion Award will celebrate an individual or team who have done the most to support and promote employee ownership within their organisation, while the Employee Engagement Award will reward an organisation that achieves meaningful engagement with its employees.

Innovation in employee owned enterprises will also be highlighted with the Employee Innovation Award endorsed by Cass Business School, which will help showcase the most exciting and effective example of innovation within an employee-owned enterprise.

A panel of industry experts will judge the entries and decide the winners. These include Tim Decamp, head of the mutual programme at the Cabinet Office; Claire Hobson, deputy director of Business and Society at Department for Business Innovation and Skills; Charlotte Cool, head of public affairs at John Lewis Partnership’ Professor Joseph Lampel, academic expert in employee ownership; Ken Worthing, Chairman of Beakbane Ltd; and Iain Hasdell, chief executive at the Employee Ownership Association.

• Employee-owned businesses have until 11 September to submit  nominations. To enter the awards, visit: baxendale.co.uk/awards

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