The 2024 Oxford Symposium agenda will be released in the spring. For reference, the 2023 agenda is below.
FieldFisher London OfficeA Pre-conference working session for government officials only will be provided at the London offices of FieldFisher. During this day experts and practitioners will provide key briefings to ensure strong participant facility with different models of employee ownership, structures, regulation, and best practices. Following the pre-conference, participants will be transported to Oxford University.
Examination SchoolsCoffee, tea, and pastries.
Examination SchoolsWelcome to the Symposium and an explanation of the importance of the Symposium, its goals, and purpose in a global context of public policy, non-governmental organisations and the private economy.
Speakers
Jonathan Michie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford, President of Kellogg College and Director of the University of Oxford's Centre for Mutual and Co-owned Businesses
James (Jim) Bonham, President, Employee Ownership Foundation
Examination SchoolsAn exploration of the essential elements necessary for employee ownership to take root and flourish.
Speakers
Graeme Nuttall, Partner, Fieldfisher
Examination SchoolsCoffee, tea, and pastries.
Examination SchoolsWithout external shareholders, what opportunities and obligations are there regarding the use of a company's profits, after providing for working capital and maintaining reserves? The panel will discuss different perspectives and priorities especially regarding profit-sharing among employees.
Speakers
Daniel Goldstein, President and Chief Executive Officer, Folience, a highly diversified company owned 100% by an employee stock ownership plan
Johnny Aisher, Manager, Partnership Council and Trustee Director, John Lewis Partnership, the well-known U.K. 100% employee trust owned company
Tej Gonza, Director, Inštitut za Ekonomsko Demokracijo, the Slovenian Institute for Economic Democracy
Examination SchoolsMany employee-owned companies have employees in more than one country. Each speaker will outline what can be done to reduce the obstacles to extending employee ownership models beyond a company's home jurisdiction.
Speakers
David (Dave) Fitz-Gerald, Chief Financial Officer, Carris Reels, a company operating internationally and owned 100% by an employee stock ownership plan
Jon Shell, Managing Director, Social Capital Partners
Response from: Janet Cooper, Co-Founder and Vice Chair, Global Equity Organisation
Examination SchoolsA growing number of Government-supported regional and municipal centres promote employee ownership in the U.S.A. and U.K. The panel will examine what their vital contribution is to promoting employee ownership.
Speakers
Cindy Turcot, Founding Board Member, Vermont Center for Employee Ownership
James de le Vingne, Chief Executive Officer, Employee Ownership Association
Irune Yarza, Director of Public Revenue , Gipuzkoa Tax Authority
Also available to contribute: Iñigo Balerdi, Head of Fiscal Regulation and Legal Advice Service, Gipuzkoa Tax Authority
Examination SchoolsCoffee, tea, and pastries.
Examination SchoolsTax laws may be essential to remove obstacles to implementing employee ownership models, especially direct employee share ownership plans. The U.K. has seen how codifying the employee ownership trust model in tax law has boosted U.K. employee ownership. Our panellists will discuss what tax law can and should do to promote employee ownership.
Speakers
Sarah Anderson, Business Development Manager, RM2 Partnership
David Binns, Senior Consultant, ESOP Services
Examination Schoolsby Graeme Nuttall, partner, Fieldfisher including contributions from the floor.
Examination SchoolsShare best practices, discuss obstacles and collaboration.
Examination SchoolsBrief histories of employee ownership in various countries.
Chair
Andrew Pendleton, Professor of Employee Ownership and Reward, University of New South Wales
Divinity School10 minutes walk
Divinity SchoolTalk on A Philosophical Look at Employee Ownership
Speaker
John Hoffmire, Director, Carmen Porco Chair in Sustainable Business, Center on Business and Poverty
Examination SchoolsCoffee, tea, and pastries.
Examination SchoolsDelegates representing national employee ownership organisations will meet.
Examination SchoolsSpeaker:
Graeme Nuttall, Partner, Fieldfisher LLP
Examination SchoolsWhy employee ownership represents the epitome of ESG goals yet can be penalised or ignored by those developing frameworks of recognition, to include a report on the ‘EO Knowledge Programme’ an unprecedented U.K. research programme to establish a baseline for the economic, social and environmental impact of employee ownership.
Speakers:
Cindy Turcot, Founding Board Member, Vermont Center for Employee Ownership
Campbell McDonald, Chief Executive, Ownership at Work
Examination SchoolsCoffee, tea, and pastries.
Examination SchoolsDistinctive features of the employee ownership business model mean it does not always fit neatly with other Government policies and special treatment may be needed. The panel will consider examples to illustrate and explore this issue and make the case for every country having a Minister for Employee Ownership to look after the employee ownership sector’s interests.
Speakers:
Camilla Bellamy, CSH Surrey on discrimination in U.K. National Health Service pay awards for employee-owned and other NHS care providers
Rick Pearl, Partner, Faegre Drinker on achieving regulatory clarity for employee stock ownership plans and conclusions from U.S. Supreme Court cases on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act 1974
Examination SchoolsMoves to employee ownership are typically funded by a company out of its own profits. What can ease this process? The American Employee Equity Investment Act is expected to accelerate the growth of employee ownership through an investment facility within the existing Small Business Administration, Small Business Investment Company programme designed to mobilise private investment towards creating, growing, and sustaining employee-owned businesses.
Speakers:
Regina Carls, Managing Director, ESOP Advisory Group Head, J.P. Morgan on financing employee stock ownership plans
John Shell, Managing Director, Social Capital Partners
Examination SchoolsExamination SchoolsThe benefits of employee ownership are many and diverse. We will hear from senior politicians why they chose to support employee ownership.
Speakers:
Vaughan Gething, Minister for Economy, Welsh Government
Anas Sarwar, Member of Scottish Parliament for Glasgow. Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
Alistair Carmichael, Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland and former Secretary of State for Scotland, Coalition Government (2010-2015)
Luca Mesec, Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Slovenia
Examination SchoolsCoffee, tea, and pastries.
Examination SchoolsEmployee ownership is not just a successful business succession solution. It is a long-term business model that works at every stage in the business life cycle.
Speaker:
James Bonham, President, Employee Ownership Foundation
Examination SchoolsThere is a wide range of features to consider when designing an employee ownership model including ease of establishing and operating it, cost effectiveness and flexibility. This panel will identify and aim to prioritise the key features of the perfect employee ownership business succession solution.
Speakers:
Carole Leslie, Director, Ownership Associates
Ken Serwinski, Chairman and co-Founder of Prairie Capital Advisors
Examination SchoolsThere is a wide range of features to consider when designing an employee ownership model including ease of establishing and operating it, cost effectiveness and flexibility. This panel will identify and aim to prioritise the key features of the perfect employee ownership business succession solution.
Panellists to be confirmed
Sheldonian Theatre10 minutes walk
Sheldonian TheatreSpeakers:
James (Jim) Bonham, President, Employee Ownership Foundation
Graeme Nuttall, Partner, FieldFisher LLP
Sheldonian TheatreChatham House Rules and a Video
A product of the Symposium will be a video that records what we discuss. At the same time, there will be an assumption of Chatham House Rules, where people can talk about what they learned at the gathering. But no-one may quote another without their permission, unless the video, which would be accepted/edited by all those filmed, made public an individual's opinion.
The Symposium is organised by The Centre for Mutual and Co-owned Business with the support of The Employee Ownership Foundation and Fieldfisher, UK.