Experiences of our elected trustee directors, past and present

Amina, June 2019 - June 2022

Having been a part of Torchbox both pre and post employee-ownership, I was motivated to put myself forward as a Trustee Director because I wanted to help shape what felt like such a pivotal moment in our journey. When Tom and Olly first announced they were selling to the employees, I was part of the group deciding how Trustee Directors would be elected. After that project group ended, I wanted to take the same approach I'd used to help build the success of the digital marketing team and apply it to wider conversations at Torchbox.

Doing the foundational work of setting up the Trust from scratch was incredibly rewarding. It felt like we were setting up Torchbox for long-term success.

One of the biggest challenges was that I expected Torchbox to change overnight - and that didn't happen. We were already transparent and ethical in how we operated, so the challenge became about deepening employee engagement as an official employee-owned company.

The achievement I'm most proud of is bringing back the idea of Voice Groups from an EO conference - they're still a really important part of our identity today.

For anyone considering standing, the key attributes are passion for what we do and being comfortable with being challenged and challenging others, respectfully. It’s also about being visible - presenting, sharing updates, and being approachable.

I'm incredibly glad I was a Trustee Director - it transformed my experience at Torchbox and opened doors I never expected. The exposure and skills I gained have been invaluable in my career and inspired me to pursue trustee roles beyond Torchbox.

Lisa, June 2022 - present

I wasn't originally planning to put myself forward, but then Olly did a talk about how becoming a trustee could be good for personal career progression - it provides experience of governance and being on a board. I like the idea of being a trustee on various boards when I'm old(er)!

I think I must be quite nosy too, and I enjoy knowing the ins and outs of what's going on at Torchbox. I like the feeling of being trusted and responsible for keeping that knowledge safe, and I enjoy working with the SLT and representing all co-owners. It's a special role with quite a lot of responsibility.

There’ve been lots of positive decisions I've been involved with - from improving our maternity and paternity leave policies to agreeing what to invest in when it comes to innovation.

I've fully thrown myself into the EO community as a trustee - I was a member of the Employee Ownership Membership Council, and I've either given a talk or hosted a session at the last three EOA conferences.

For anyone thinking of standing, you need to be passionate about Torchbox and think about what’s best for all co-owners, not just your team or role. You’ll need to hold difficult discussions, speak up when something doesn’t feel right, and communicate regularly with the wider team. But it’s extremely rewarding, I shall miss it when I finally step down.

Ben, June 2022 - present

Since I joined Torchbox, I was really interested in becoming a trustee. I was bought into the employee ownership model from the start and saw it as a great opportunity to learn more. I knew I’d get to see how a company of our size really runs and spend time with the SLT. Who wouldn’t want the chance to learn from someone who’s run a successful business for 25 years? It was a no-brainer to stand.

I’ve come to realise how difficult some decisions can be and truly understand how important our role is. It’s a real balancing act; you have to step back from your own personal circumstances and think about what’s best for the long term. Co-ownership isn’t about being cuddly and friendly, it’s about making decisions that benefit both current and future co-owners.

One thing I’m keen to get over the line is the Constitution. It’s a huge step forward and will give people real clarity on what it means to be part of an employee-owned business.

For me, the wins aren’t the big standout achievements or major initiatives - when you look at the bottom line, it's about being a critical friend to the board and steering things in the right direction continuously.

My advice to other co-owners considering standing for election is to go for it! It's an incredible learning opportunity and it gives you a real passion for what you do beyond your day-to-day work.

Kyle, November 2023 - present

When I stood for election, the Trust Board had a lot of Client Partners and I felt it was important to have broader representation, especially from the engineering team. Trustees represent all co-owners, and this is easier when there's a good mix of roles, departments, beliefs, passions, and seniority. I also saw it as an opportunity to grow and learn about running an organisation like Torchbox.

I became a trustee at the toughest time in Torchbox’s history. It was daunting. On one hand, I knew the decisions being made were necessary to keep Torchbox afloat. On the other hand, I knew friends were about to have their lives turned upside down. I’d seen this kind of thing on a small scale as a line manager, but never across the whole company.

The most rewarding aspect has been peeking behind the curtain and working closely with James and Olly - learning from their leadership has been an amazing experience.

I'm quite an outspoken person and passionate about advocating for what I believe is right, so I'm proud of all the questions, challenges, and suggestions I've made to the trustees over the last two years. I feel like I've immersed myself as much as time allows.

If you’re considering standing, do it. It’s one of the best things I’ve done for my career. There’s no single mould for being a trustee, everyone brings their own strengths and enthusiasm. It's about being passionate, standing up for your beliefs with healthy debate, and being open and positive about progress.

Felicity, August 2024 - present

I saw the trustee role as a unique opportunity to get experience in how key business decisions are made at an SLT level. That kind of experience isn’t available at a lot of companies, and I knew it would benefit my personal and professional development.

Equally as important was being able to represent the part of the company I work in, bringing those perspectives to the table, while representing wider co-owners to contribute to what makes Torchbox special as an employee-owned business.

The most rewarding part has been getting a deeper understanding of the bigger picture, being involved in decisions that go far beyond my role. It’s been so valuable working closely with the SLT and seeing just how much thought and care goes into everything.

One of the biggest challenges is balancing the now with the long-term. It's not always straightforward, but it helps to keep an open mind and ask lots of questions!

I’m really proud of the work we’ve done on the Constitution. It captures how we operate as an employee-owned company, including things we’ve been doing informally or that were hidden in legal documents that aren’t easy to read. Putting it all into one co-owner-friendly guide is a big step forward.

My advice to others thinking of putting themselves forward is just go for it! You don't need to know everything - curiosity, the willingness to ask lots of questions, and being able to constructively challenge will give you what you need. You’re not just representing your area, but also thinking about wider co-owners and future co-owners too. It's rewarding, and you'll gain much more understanding about how a business works while making a real impact.

Dave, June 2019 - November 2023

I’ve been around at Torchbox since 2007 (with a bit of a break), so I’ve seen a lot of change and growth, but always with a values-led culture. I care deeply about the work we do and the people I work with. When Tom and Olly announced the move to employee ownership in 2019, I immediately wanted to play a part in shaping what that could look like. I felt I had a useful breadth of experience and opinion that could help to influence how we set up the new EOT structure to retain the core essence of the company that had been led by the founders for nearly 20 years, while taking it into a new phase and empowering employees/co-owners to play more of a part.

It’s been really rewarding participating and contributing in those early stages of establishing the EOT, thinking through how the Trust should be structured, setting up Voice Groups, and being involved in the recruitment of our first Independent Trustee. Working with the Board and senior leadership on key strategic thinking and seeing how leaders genuinely welcomed the challenge and scrutiny from trustees. I also advocated for and supported the various developments that have been enabled by the EOT structure like improved benefits, maternity and paternity

The most challenging part was probably that this was all new to all of us! We had to do a lot of learning as we went - we went to courses and conferences and looked around at other EOTs for inspiration, but really, we had to try to find things that worked in our context, with our culture and our people. We probably made a bunch of mistakes along the way but hopefully in a transparent way, and with an ongoing desire to always keep improving.

I was a trustee as we entered the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, when suddenly everything changed. We were already “remote friendly” but suddenly we were all remote. Navigating this period of change was difficult for all involved and really put a spotlight on culture, communication, team morale and wellbeing challenges. A number of staff were furloughed, and as trustees, we made sure to contribute to make the process as supportive as possible.

I’m proud that I was part of the key transition from a private, founder-led independent company to an EOT. I think I’ve played a small part in (hopefully) setting up Torchbox for a positive future, whatever that looks like. When I finished my trustee term we were going into a period of difficulty, with the wider economy affecting our commercial performance. This led to a really challenging time with a redundancy process. I’ve been through that before, and redundancies are always hard. Although I was no longer involved, I think the fact we were an EOT, with trustees involved in decision making, meant that the Board and the trustees navigated that difficulty in a way that was as supportive of the Torchbox team as it could have been.

Read more about our employee ownership journey.