In October last year Tangram Furnishers made the exciting move to become an Employee-Owned company. Given the challenges of the last year Tangram was delighted to be able to announce such a good news story. 

Today we reflect on this move and the positives which are already evident as a result of becoming employee-owned.

Julian Darwell-Stone (retiring owner): In planning my exit from the business I was determined to ensure that my colleagues at Tangram could continue to enjoy job security and be rewarded for their ongoing contribution to the business.  I identified that setting up an Employee Ownership Trust was the way forward and that became possible with the support and encouragement from Scottish Enterprise who guided us through the transition process.  I am delighted that Tangram can remain as an independent business that continues to deliver exceptional service to our clients. 

Jenny Milne (Interior Designer): I have always felt part of an amazing team and Employee Ownership has been a great motivator to work even harder for Tangram. As employees we now have the opportunity to be more involved in making decisions and contributing ideas. It has given me confidence that I have a future with Tangram and I will now directly benefit from our success. 

Melissa Mathieson (Interior Designer): As a small business Tangram has always been a very collaborative company, it has now become an even more inclusive environment for us to work in. 

 Joanne Golden (Interior Designer):  I was delighted that there is no risk of the business being sold to a third party and that Tangram could remain the lovely independent business that it always has been. We were already a close team, but this has only strengthened how well we all work together.  

Wouter Bossenbroek (Interior Designer): The opportunity to become a co-owner within an EO company was one of the reasons I applied for the role at Tangram Furnishers. It is a fantastic step to go from employee to co-owner and determine, together with your colleagues, the course of the company.  

Sarah Ramsay (Managing Director): Having been involved in the many discussions around our move to Employee Ownership over the last couple of years, it is now really exciting and rewarding to see the team embrace the changes and start to move towards thinking as business owners.  Tangram has a long established, very committed team and I am excited to see how the change will evolve the business with greater involvement and responsibility from everyone.  

The feedback from the team clearly illustrates that the decision to become an Employee-Owned company has laid the foundation for a very promising future. The increased level of responsibility has stirred enthusiasm, ambition and team spirit across the board. This is particularly noticeable in our morning ‘Teams’ meeting where there is a real energy and buzz in the (albeit digital) air. Working together and collaboratively is at the forefront of our values as a business, so to formalise and solidify this, was a move that just made sense.  

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