• by Larissa Faw , March 10, 2021

Agency BrandOpus is shifting equity from its founding partners to employees via an employee ownership trust.  

The agency’s current executive and leadership team will remain in place following the transition, while all former partners will become employees. These changes will be effective immediately and affect the entire body of the 74-person staff across the UK, US and Australia.

This “leader-driven” decision came after a period of review which began in late 2019, in which the partners explored equity release options, including the sale of the agency or possible acquisitions.

However, moving to an EOT model was the most favored option, with a view to maintaining creative independence, explains Nir Wegrzyn, founder and CEO of BrandOpus. The move will enable staff to become more invested financially and operationally in the business’ future trajectory, as well as benefit from the provision of tax-free bonuses each year.

“People have always been at the heart of the agency so shifting to an EOT model felt like an interesting solution, allowing us to maintain our independence and move the business forward, whilst preserving our people-first ethos,” he says.

The agency will create an Employee Council in the coming months, to provide an additional avenue for employees to be more engaged in the decision-making process.

Wegrzyn adds the initial reaction has been “really” positive. “It’s definitely created a bit of a buzz. But the real measure of it will be in how it impacts our culture in the long-term.”