Tim Frankland, MD and Jana Jassova, Group HR Manager
Better understanding
Group HR Manager Jana Jassova was asked to become the Employee Trustee on the four-strong Employee Ownership Board (EOT) as a link between employees and the Board. She says: “J Gadd Associates delivered a “Creating an Effective Trustee Board” workshop for us, including a pre-workshop call with each delegate. The workshop was then followed up by a detailed report. It was great to speak to them before the workshop, because it broke the ice and gave me the confidence to get my views across.
Creating an effective Trust Board
Becoming employee-owned brings a new layer of governance for Trustees – and J Gadd Associates (JGA) were on hand to help office interiors specialists Claremont Group Interiors with bespoke training and support.
Managing Director Tim Frankland and Group HR Manager Jana Jassova from Claremont Group Interiors describe the “invaluable” support given by JGA in their new roles as Trustees on the office interiors business’s Employee Ownership Trust Board.
A wealth of experience
Managing Director Tim Frankland says: “Employee ownership is not a massive change for us in terms of culture or the way we run the business, but we were mindful that it was a new set-up from a legal standpoint. JGA were recommended to us by our accountants BDO, as people with a wealth of experience, who could help us to navigate through the process.
After the first session with them we felt confident and reassured that we were doing the right things. We appreciated the practical, pragmatic and sensible approach from Associates Jeremy Gadd and Lisa Fryer, who brought their experiences from other organisations, and lots of live examples.
We gelled with them – which for us is always important – and could see we were on the same wavelength. We are at the start of employee ownership journey, and I am sure we will enjoy working with them more as we continue down the road. So far it has been a great start.”
Jeremy and Lisa came to the workshop well-prepared. They’d done their research about our values, they understood our business and knew what was needed to set us up for success. The training helped us to better understand our roles and responsibilities as Trustees – they made it very clear and that has helped us to be more effective. I really liked the examples they gave us from other employee-owned companies and it was great that they could answer all of our questions.”
Engaging workshop
Jana adds: “As the first in our industry to transition into employee-ownership, we want to ensure that we’re not just leading the way but also – as a people-led organisation – maximising the benefits for our colleagues. Jeremy and Lisa helped us to explore how we could become the most effective EOT. The workshop was easy to understand and engaging. One thing I really appreciated was that they didn’t beat around the bush and their answers were clear. They provided examples, and this was particularly helpful as we started to shape our EOT vision.
After our workshop, we were impressed with their detailed report – the best thing being that they captured all of our next steps and action points. They also offered to sit on some of our future EOT meetings and provide feedback, so our meetings will just get better and better!”
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You can’t put a price tag on the value they have added; being able to rely on people with this kind of experience is invaluable.”
TIM FRANKLAND
Mike Gardner, Founder and Martin Donnachie, Independent Trustee
No-nonsense approach
Tim concludes: “We are used to running a business and J Gadd Associates have been very good at putting it in the context of an EOT, helping us to understand our responsibilities to the Trust.
You can’t put a price tag on the value they have added; being able to rely on people with this kind of experience is invaluable. They have given us confidence that we are doing the right things. They have helped us to simplify the thought process and focus on what needs to be done and when, helping us to prioritise those actions.
I am a pragmatist, so Jeremy and Lisa’s no-nonsense approach sat well with me. It was hugely valuable to sit down with someone who has been through it all before, so that we didn’t make mistakes.”
Summary
J Gadd Associates (JGA) was recommended to Claremont Group Interiors after it became employee-owned to help its new Trust Board members to understand their roles and quickly establish effective working practices. Associates Jeremy Gadd – himself a Trustee – and Lisa Fryer, a governance professional within the public sector, held a Creating an Effective Trustee Board workshop to support the design and delivery business with the new layer of governance required by employee-ownership.
About Claremont Group Interiors
Claremont Group Interiors was established in 1977 and is a leading provider of commercial interior consultancy, design, fit-out, furniture and technology, with a team of more than 90 colleagues. Its head office is in Warrington and it also has offices in Bristol. Claremont Group Interiors became employee-owned in November 2020.
