Quintessa has been proudly employee-owned for over twenty-five years. Employee ownership benefits our employees and clients in numerous ways, including long-term stability of the company, a culture of transparency and respect for others, and high retention of talented employees.

The EOA 2025 conference brought together more than 850 delegates from across the employee ownership community, for two days of keynote talks, panels, and workshops. A key theme of interest was Intergenerational Unity and Diversity, which highlighted different generational challenges, support needs and communication preferences. There were other interesting concepts to consider from breakout sessions focussed on leadership transition, strategies for designing employee benefits which are equitable between different generations and lessons which businesses can learn from high performing sports teams.

Attendance at the conference provided an excellent opportunity to engage with an extensive range of employee-owned businesses, of different sizes and sectors and at different stages of transition to employee ownership. It was rewarding to exchange views and ideas as every EO business is unique and there is always something new to learn. This engagement reinforced that Quintessa has an excellent EO culture which supports our ambition to continue to deliver interesting and innovative technical work.

In the closing keynote conference speech, the EOA shared their aspiration to triple the number of employee-owned businesses over the next 5 years, by bringing together evidence and voices, professionalising practice, and influencing policy to safeguard the EO model. Ongoing engagement with the EOA brings opportunities to reflect upon how Quintessa can continue to adapt and remain at the forefront of employee ownership.