Employee Ownership Awards 2024: Blue Flame Cornwall Amongst Top Honours

Cornwall’s Blue Flame Takes Centre Stage

Blue Flame Cornwall secured the EO Transition of the Year award for its well-executed move to employee ownership. Judges praised its thoughtful leadership, which prioritised employee voice, recruitment, and retention early in the process. The business was also commended for fostering an ownership mindset and its entrepreneurial drive.

Winning Businesses

‘EO Transition of the Year’

This award recognises a shining example of successful EO transition for businesses that became employee owned between 1st September 2023 and 1st September 2024, demonstrating strong leadership and a thoughtful approach to their transition, setting them up to amplify employee voice and EO impacts.

• Winner: Blue Flame Cornwall
• Highly Commended: Wildfire PR

‘EO Rising Star of the Year’

This award highlights organisations that became employee owned on or after 1st July 2021 and are already showing the benefits of EO through engagement, culture, and representation.

• Winner: JP Hildreth
• Highly Commended: Solarsense

‘EO Business of the Year’

This category celebrates well-established employee-owned businesses excelling in innovation, performance, and sustainability while driving positive impacts for stakeholders.

• Winner: Shaw Healthcare
• Highly Commended: Gripple
• Highly Commended: Riverford

‘Employee Owner of the Year’

This award honours an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to their business and the broader employee ownership sector, regardless of their seniority or role.

• Winner: Tracey Calderdale, 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan
• Highly Commended: Ed Scott, Riverford
• Highly Commended: Ann-Marie Conway, Seetec

Special Recognition: Julian Richer

Julian Richer, founder of Richer Sounds, was presented with the Philip Baxendale Fellowship Award for his decades-long advocacy of employee ownership. Judges noted his public campaigns, thought leadership, and commitment to driving EO practices forward, including taking Richer Sounds into employee ownership in 2019.

The UK Employee Ownership Awards were hosted by the Employee Ownership Association, which represents over 800 members and supports businesses through events, courses, and resources to amplify the benefits of EO.