Trustee Perspective - Experiencing Transition
Ruth Baker • 21 May 2025
Introducing the perspective of one of our independent trustees on Employee Ownership (EO) in practice and EO more generally.
Through personal knowledge, the author, Ruth Baker, considers how her own journey into EO underpins her value as an independent trustee and shapes her perspective when working with those companies transitioning to Employee Ownership (EO) as they move into a new ownership model.
What is your professional background, and how does it inform your approach as a trustee?
I began my professional career in support functions, where I developed a strong foundation in business operations. My ambition led me to pursue a degree in Business Management, which opened opportunities to advance my career and work closely with a Board of Directors committed to transitioning to EO. Facilitating this transition gave me deep insight into the many facets of successful EO, enabling me to take a holistic approach to the role of trustee.
With a well-rounded perspective on business challenges from all angles, I am well-equipped to support and enhance the benefits of EO within an organisation. I have worked across locations, both in the UK and internationally, at all levels and enjoy the interactions I have with a diverse group of individuals..
What are some unique aspects of your approach that differentiate you from other trustees?
I’ve had the privilege of experiencing the transition to Employee Ownership from both a director’s and an employee’s perspective. Navigating the fine balance between making the right decisions for the business and ensuring the best outcomes for valued employees has given me a deep appreciation for both sides of the equation. This dual perspective enables me to take a thoughtful, balanced approach to my role as a Trustee, ensuring that both business sustainability and employee interests are carefully considered.
At which stage of the EO journey can you provide the greatest value?
My experience enables me to support transitioning organizations in building a strong foundation for their EO journey from the outset. As an independent trustee at this early stage I can utilise and share my experiences so that others can craft their own journey, and identify their own priorities, with my support.
Involving an Independent Trustee early in the process is essential for shaping governance, embedding a lasting EO culture, and fostering fair, effective decision-making and communication between leadership and employees. With the updated legislation requiring trustee validation of the financial valuation it is now even more important to have an experienced trustee as part of the early discussions.
I can help guide on priorities and alleviate stress and anxiety in sellers and leadership teams who are frequently overcome by the breadth of the challenge and opportunity they have taken on. As an external contact I can provide calm reassurance, especially at a time when the transaction may not be widely communicated and the sellers may be working in a bubble of discretion and confidentiality.
With an objective and balanced perspective, I provide strategic guidance while maintaining independence from executive management. As a critical friend to leaders, I offer valuable external insight, helping to navigate challenges and leverage opportunities that drive both business success and employee engagement. Having been through the transition process myself I can share experience and lessons learnt elsewhere with companies that have a wealth of experience in their business and sector but no EO knowledge or understanding. I can sit alongside the transaction advisers bringing practical experience of implementing the legal requirements.
I also recognise the growing demand for businesses to cultivate an environment where employees feel a true sense of purpose and have a meaningful voice in decision-making. A strong advocate for transparency in business, I believe a well-executed EO model can be a powerful force for good, aligning with the Social Value agenda and creating longevity for the business itself and lasting positive impact more widely.
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The IDT Difference
IDT supports independent trustees to recognise, value, use and share their own unique personal experience and expertise in delivering in their role for clients.
Our in-house EO Toolkit supports our trustees by providing practical tools, materials and knowledge to enable them to be an invaluable partner on the trust boards to which they are appointed whilst ensuring that they have the EO knowledge needed to deliver in the role.
Our in-house trustee networking, centered around monthly knowledge sharing, enables our trustees to share their knowledge and challenges with each other to gain from the collective expertise available by being part of our network.
Ruth is one of our team working as independent trustee through IDT, bringing her unique perspective, experience, knowledge and personality to her appointments, as well as an ability to share her knowledge in an advisory and consultative manner. To find out more about the breadth of this knowledge, as well as that of our other independent trustees, read our article introducing our trustees: :
https://www.independentdirectorsandtrustees.co.uk/who-are-our-trustees
The Author
Ruth Baker
is a personable and supportive trustee with broad senior level experience of organisational functions, compliance and people development. She has recently left a large international architecture, master planner and heritage practice that successfully transitioned to employee ownership and she now uses this experience, and her wider business knowledge, in support of her IDT clients.
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