Employee share ownership has always formed a core part of Sopra Steria’s heritage and is seen by the company as a key driver for engaging employees, encouraging entrepreneurship and maintaining independence.
At Group level around 7% of the share capital is owned by or managed for employees, with a further 22.6% held by founders, historic and current managers. The company frequently offers employee share programmes that are adopted enthusiastically by employees across the world.
In the UK, approximately 25% of employees hold shares in Sopra Steria, with UK and Indian employees also being beneficiaries of an Employee Trust with its own endowment of shares.
Members of the EOA, from businesses from all sectors, sizes and locations across the UK, engage in a variety of national and regional events to share knowledge, network and to reap the benefits of employee share ownership as a route to more successful business. Sopra Steria’s membership of the EOA is an illustration of its continuing commitment to engaging its employees in the company’s future development and performance.
“Sopra Steria’s vision is to be the digital transformation and services partner of choice and we are committed to giving our employees every opportunity to share in our success,” says Martin Waters, Chairman of the Sopra Steria Employee Trust. “Employee ownership is part of Sopra Steria’s DNA and we are confident that membership of the EOA will give us the opportunity to work with and share ideas with many other like-minded organisations.”
“The number of employee owned businesses in the UK is growing every year with more than 300 businesses employing more than 200,000 employee owners in 2017 and contributing more than £30bn to the UK economy,” says Deb Oxley, EOA Chief Executive. “By involving all staff and giving them a stake, employee owned businesses tend to be more profitable and entrepreneurial with a commitment to their long term sustainability. To welcome an organisation with the size and prestige of Sopra Steria to join us as a Trustee Member is a great boost to our core mission of growing the employee owned sector in the UK. We look forward to working together to effectively develop the benefits that employee ownership provides.”
Sopra Steria is very pleased to be sponsoring the EOA’s Robert Oakeshott Lecture at the Cass Business School on 11 April 2018. This annual lecture commemorates Robert’s work as the founder of the EOA and as a pioneer of employee ownership. Dame Stephanie Shirley will deliver the 2018 lecture. Amongst many other achievements Dame Stephanie founded F International, a company co-owned by employees, which (by then named Xansa) became part of Sopra Steria in 2007.
