Eleanor Neilson and Karen Green, co-owners and joint managing directors, have chosen this route as part of their strategic plan to secure the company’s long-term future, rejecting the idea of a third-party sale to avoid potential disruption to the company’s work culture and employment stability.

Ms Neilson said: “Karen and I have been considering the future of Dynam for a while. This is a great business doing fantastic work for a wide range of clients, both national and international. There’s every sign that we’re only going to build on that success, and that is largely down to the brilliant team we have, many of whom have been with us long-term.

“We chose the Employee Ownership route because we believe it embodies the culture of the agency and will strengthen team continuity, making everyone feel increasingly committed to and engaged with the success of the business going forward.”

Ms Green added: “We did consider a sale to a third party but rejected that very quickly as it would undoubtedly have disrupted the way we work and may have jeopardised our culture and, importantly, the employment of our people.”

The Inverness and Glasgow-based agency was established by Neilson and Green as a full-service company. It has since grown into a dynamic agency, partnering with both local and international brands. Among their esteemed clients are Mowi, producer of Atlantic salmon, global recruitment group Orion, Nature Scot, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and Orkney Harbours.

Under the EOT ownership model, while the duo will continue managing the day-to-day operations, the employees, as the new owners, will hold significant influence over key business decisions. This innovative approach seeks to directly benefit current and future employees, thus ensuring the dynamism that is synonymous with Dynam continues to thrive.

Carole Leslie, founder of Ownership Associates, which facilitated the move, commented: “Dynam is exactly the type of business we are seeing increasingly move towards the Employee Ownership (EO) model. They are successful, with a strong, loyal, core team in place, and have a reputation for being a great employer – with choosing to set up an EOT further evidence of that.

“Dynam are not alone in seeing the attractions of EO. The UK EO sector has more than doubled since 2020, with research showing that EO businesses perform better than other businesses during the recession, are more innovative and productive, and are healthier and happier workplaces with increased staff retention who are more prepared to take a long term view of business development.”

Senior account director and part of the Dynam leadership team, Fiona Patience, added: “This is an exciting new era for Dynam and a great reward for the team. We already have a strong leadership team in place under Eleanor and Karen, who have a real input into the business, so day-to-day things will continue as normal.

“However, long term, the EO model lets the team benefit from the company’s continued success and gives everyone a say in the future direction of the company.

“With a talented team in place, we expect the company to continue to grow and flourish going forward, building on the work of Eleanor and Karen in the last 20 years.”