FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2nd September 2025

The Software Bureau Becomes Employee-Owned (And Nothing’s Changing – Good News, Right?)

Croydon, UK – Friday 29th August, The Software Bureau officially transferred ownership to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). This move, made by our shareholders, locks in a future owned by the people who make it tick: our employees, not some corporate overlord. Rest assured, business remains business as usual.

Why EOT? Because lasting value isn’t built overnight.

At The Software Bureau, we’ve spent the past quarter-century building more than just cutting-edge data-marketing software. We’ve built a family. With a team of 19 devoted professionals, each with at least eight years under their belt (and some here for the full 25-year ride), we are proud to stay small, nimble, and independently owned by the people who do the day-to-day heavy lifting. Our ethos is clear: professional, caring and built to last. That hasn’t changed – and now it never will.

What’s an EOT and why does it matter?

An Employee Ownership Trust is a structure where a trust holds company shares on behalf of employees, who benefit from success without needing to buy in themselves. Introduced in the UK in 2014, EOTs are rapidly becoming a savvy and sustainable ownership model. Not because founders want accolades, but because it’s strategic: a way to secure continuity while ensuring company values endure.

Benefits we’re already lining up:

  • Unwavering independence. We’re keeping our culture intact, without external meddling.
  • Engaged, motivated team. Employee-owned firms often enjoy higher productivity, lower staff turnover, and stronger morale.
  • Stable future. The EOT model is built for long-term sustainability. No hot-potato ownership changes, just steady progress.
  • Employee rewards. Employees can receive annual bonuses tax-free, further aligning their efforts with the company’s continued success.

What this isn’t: radical upheaval.

Let’s be candid: nothing changes operationally. Your projects, our products, our people – all the same.

And let’s add this: the current shareholders aren’t going anywhere either. They remain fully committed to supporting the transition, ensuring the business smoothly evolves into being employee-owned and, in time, employee-managed. Continuity, stability and success remain the order of the day.

Huge kudos to our trusty legal guides at Doyle Clayton:

Making an EOT happen takes more than good intentions. It takes precision advice. A hearty appreciation goes to the Doyle Clayton team for steering us through the transition with ice-cold professionalism (and a human touch). We couldn’t have done it without you.

Quotes:

“Handing business control to the people who actually make it hum – it’s not a charity stunt. It’s smart business.”
— Martin Rides, Managing Director, The Software Bureau

“This structure ensures the company thrives on its own terms, with ownership spread across the team that actually builds it.”
— Garry Karch, Doyle Clayton

“We may have passed ownership into a trust, but we’re not disappearing. We’re still here, committed to guiding the business through this transition and beyond. Nothing changes – except the certainty that The Software Bureau’s independence is here to stay.”
— Paul Callow, Shareholder, The Software Bureau

About The Software Bureau

For 25 years, we’ve led the data-marketing world with pioneering software. But our real strength? Our people. With deep industry roots, long tenure, and an independent spirit, we don’t just do data, we live it.

About EOTs

An Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) is a long-term ownership vehicle that enables employees to collectively benefit from company success, with alignment across the board.

About Doyle Clayton

Doyle Clayton are our specialist advisers on this ground-breaking transition, combining legal rigour with approachable guidance: exactly what you need for something this game changing.

So, there you have it: no puppets, no private equity drama, no cultural mergers. Just a future steered by the people who’ve always made The Software Bureau tick, with the same trusted shareholders helping guide the way. Forward together – this is ownership done right.