We've become an EOT!

We’ve become an EOT!

White Ink began humbly in 2001, with a small but dedicated team of five people. Today, it has blossomed into a diverse and highly trained team of thirty five – and counting! Until 2020 the practice was fully owned by Sean Tunney, Claude Maguire and Joan McCoy – our founding directors. At the momentous 20-year milestone however they decided to take a bold new step for the company: to shape its future and reward the future of every staff member whose efforts continue to make it so successful.

What for?

The directors’ wanted a plan for the company’s future that would secure their eventual succession, while sustaining the special culture and community already nurtured during its lifetime. They found, after a lot of exploration, that this steadiness would be assured by becoming an EOT or ‘Employee-Owned Trust’. It also became clear this would facilitate the rewards so desired for every member of staff. To name but a few:

  • It means the employees get the benefits of being an owner without individual risk.
  • Research shows that employee-owned businesses perform stronger, with employees who are more engaged, committed, and able to take advantage of tax efficient profit sharing.
  • The EOT model means that future directors of the practice will be determined by leadership skills and talent – not the ability to access funds to buy the owners out.
  • The EOT model also benefits clients, because every employee has a vested interest in the success of the practice and therefore, their continued work ethos.

Becoming at EOT has reinforced White Ink’s long-held belief that its success stems directly from our passionate team.

And how?

White Ink achieves its ‘employee ownership’ through an employee ‘Trust’ – an indirect model of ownership. The Trust holds and manages the controlling shares of White Ink on behalf of its employees, with day-to-day control of the company remaining safely in the hands of our long-standing directors, Sean, Claude, and Joan. As the first company (head quartered) in Northern Ireland to become an EOT, we believe White Ink will become an exemplar for this type of business progression – mainly because this is no leap into the unknown within our industry; according to the Architects’ Journal over 25% of the UK’s 100 largest Architect practices are now employee owned. White Ink will remain an independent practice for the foreseeable future, continuing to operate for the benefit of all our employees and clients alike.

If you like the sound of this, then get in touch to find out more and join us on our exciting EOT journey ahead.

 

OUR EMPLOYEE OWNERS

TUNNEY / MAGUIRE / MCCOY / MCGONIGAL / ELLIS / MCATEER / MCCRORY / MCCANN / GREENWOOD / MAGENNIS / WRIGHT / MCATEER  / AIKEN / FOSTER / MCINNES / ANDERSON / HOLMES  / MILLER / CABANILLAS / RUSSELL / FEE / TURKINGTON / SMYTH / MAGEE / HENRY / LAWSON/  MCILHATTON / DUNLOP / POTTS / ALLEN / MCKENNA / KHANNA / CABRERA / MANLAPLAZ / MCCAMBRIDGE / MCCORMACK / SPINU / KEITH / NEWMAN / MCILKENNY – TEAM WHITE INK