Stake & Soul

In this episode of Stake & Soul, Barry speaks with Liam Toms, Communications and Engagement Manager at Grapevine, the Dorset-based managed IT and telecoms provider that transitioned to 100 percent employee ownership via an Employee Ownership Trust in March 2023. Two and a half years later, Grapevine was named EO Rising Star of the Year at the 2025 UK Employee Ownership Awards. Liam talks about...

In this episode of Stake and Soul, Barry speaks with Alastair Sawday, founder of Sawday's, the Bristol-based travel publisher that began in 1994 as a scruffy file of addresses from his small group tour company and grew into one of Britain's most trusted authorities on special places to stay. In 2018, after refusing to sell to the highest bidder, Alastair pioneered a hybrid ownership mode...

In this episode of Stake and Soul, Barry speaks with Nick Parsons, fourth generation leader of Parsons Bakery, the Bristol-based bakery that grew from a horse and cart in the 1910s into a 50-store, 400-strong business across the southwest. In April 2024, on the eve of the company's 99th anniversary, Nick and his family transitioned 100 percent of the business into an Employee Ownership Trust....

In this episode of Stake and Soul, Barry speaks with Karen Maguire, founder of Relinea, the Northern Ireland-based manufacturer supplying glass reinforced plastic (GRP) alternatives to the construction sector. Karen built Relinea from a port-a-cabin and a dodgy forklift into a multi-million-pound business, and in March 2022 became the first manufacturing company in Northern Ireland to transition t...

In this episode Barry speaks with David Sproxton, co-founder of Aardman Animations, the Bristol-based studio behind Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Morph, and Chicken Run.  For more than 50 years, David and his co-founder Peter Lord built one of the most beloved creative companies in British history. In 2018, they had the opportunity to sell to a major studio. They chose not to. Instead, they...

In this episode of Stake and Soul, Barry speaks with Sam, Chair of the Global Members Board at Scott Bader, a global chemical company that became employee-owned in 1951 and remains one of the oldest and most distinctive examples of common ownership in the world. Over nearly 18 years, Sam worked his way through the democratic structures of the business from process operator to community councillor...

In this episode of Stake and Soul, Barry speaks with Kirsty Dias, Managing Director of PriestmanGoode, one of the world's leading transport and passenger experience design studios, responsible for landmark projects including the New Tube for London and aircraft cabin interiors for major global airlines. Kirsty joined the studio in 2001 and became a director in 2016, the same year the founding...

In this episode of Stake and Soul, Barry speaks with Adam Arnold, CEO of GearForm, the parent company of Nikwax and Paramáo, about leading a purpose-driven outdoor business through its transition to employee ownership. Adam shares his journey from joining the company at 18 on the production line to becoming CEO nearly three decades later. He offers an inside look at how the group evolved into an e...

In this episode of Stake and Soul , Barry speaks with Simon Morton, founder of Eyeful Presentations and author of Employee Ownership: A Guide to Transitioning from Boss to Benefactor , about the real story behind stepping away from a business he spent nearly two decades building. Simon shares an honest look at the emotional and strategic realities of succession, including burnout, failed handovers...

In this episode of Stake & Soul , Barry sits down with Chris McDermott, former Chair & CEO of Cambridge Nutritional Foods (CNF) and Chair of the UK Employee Ownership Association (EOA), for a candid conversation about what employee ownership looks like in the real world.  Chris shares the behind-the-scenes reality of moving from a traditional ownership structure into employee ownership, wh...

Barry is joined by Rob Haward (Riverford) for a practical conversation that links employee ownership with the realities of running a large, values-led organisation, including what has to change in leadership, communication, and culture for EO to actually “work” day-to-day. Riverford’s transition is discussed in the context of protecting purpose long-term (and avoiding the business ending up “in th...

Barry is joined by Bella, founder of Salad, a Dorset-based creative agency built around brand strategy, visual identity, and websites, for a candid conversation about why she chose employee ownership and what it has actually required on the other side.  This episode is especially relevant for founders who are thinking about succession and want a route that protects culture, rewards the team, and s...