Sharing our future success with our team.
It has been a challenging year for us all, but at AD we’re very lucky to still be doing what we love with our clients and colleagues. Our team has worked incredibly hard throughout 2020 and, as such, we have been able to power through the pandemic, continuing to grow the business with 3 new starts already in 2021. But, we aren’t stopping there. We want to take this opportunity to push the company even further by allowing our team members to be fully involved and engaged with After Digital and its future.
To recognise the contribution of our people, particularly over the past 12 months, and to allow the team to share in the future success of the business, the directors have made up to 25% of the company available to employees. This was something we had always intended to do and something that had been under consideration in early 2020, prior to the pandemic. As with many recent business decisions, the onset of the lockdown accelerated our decision-making and shaped the eventual rollout of the scheme and we were delighted to announce this to our team in late 2020. As a result, seven current team members who have worked for AD for two years or more have been given a share in the company. We’re excited about this new development that emphasises our company culture and the belief we have in our employees. We want to thank our team for their commitment and the outstanding work they put into the company, and we hope that this creates an incentive for the future.
“After a year that was incredibly challenging, finding out that After Digital was in a position to offer this to the team was so encouraging. Everyone who works at After Digital takes real pride in everything they do and they approach their work with a real passion; both to celebrate and showcase their own expertise and to push the business forward. With this passion being recognised and rewarded in a way that gives the team a piece of the business that they work so hard for each day, it’s been a bit of light in a difficult time and a real drive for the future.”
“Having worked at After Digital for over 6 years now, it’s an absolute privilege to be part of the company’s ongoing success and continuing to work to improve this moving forward.”
However, the rollout of our scheme has been tainted with sadness as we lost our dear friend and colleague, Ken Beattie, in September 2020. Ken was co-founder, director, and co-owner of the business, alongside David Johnstone and David Brophy, and a mentor and friend to the staff here at After Digital. Ken was a passionate advocate of employee involvement and ownership and had been very enthusiastic about the opportunity of opening up the shareholding opportunity to staff. The board had agreed on the scheme prior to Ken’s passing and whilst he was not here to see it implemented, we feel this scheme is a fitting legacy to his memory and contribution to building After Digital.
Ken, David, and Andrea during their visit to the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, 2019
“In a year when we lost my friend, co-founder, and co-owner, being able to turn something so deeply sad into a positive, and begin to realise the vision of employee ownership with this amazing group of people gives me huge optimism for the future and what we can achieve together.”
In the long run, we hope this new system encourages unity throughout the business as it continues to grow and that more members of the team will get an opportunity to join the scheme, share in the rewards of the business's success, and drive the company forward.