Meet our new EO reps: Yas and Alice

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Employee ownership has been part of Engage's story since 2024. And while plenty has changed along the way, one thing has stayed constant: our belief that the people who own the business should have a say in where it goes.

Now, there's a new pair of voices helping make that happen.

We're delighted to welcome Yas, Head of Social, and Alice, Junior Project Manager, as our newly elected employee ownership (EO) reps, taking over from Matt and Charlotte, who helped establish the role.

Elected by their colleagues, our EO reps bring the team's views, ideas and challenges into the conversations shaping Engage's future.

We caught up with Yas and Alice to find out why they put themselves forward, what they're hoping to achieve and what our ambition to become the UK's most successful employee-owned agency means to them.

Q&A with Yas and Alice

Before we get into EO, tell us a bit about your journey at Engage so far and what you do day to day. 

Yas: I've been Head of Social at Engage for the last five years. Over that time, I've seen the company evolve, with new teams, new ideas and a much stronger foundation as a business. That's helped me develop our social media offering too.

Before Engage, I was a client strategist at another digital agency, while doing some freelance social media work on the side. I wanted to take that experience into a bigger role, which brought me here.

Alice: I've been at Engage for nearly two years as a Junior Project Manager, working on website builds and digital activations. The role allows me to work with people right across the business, which I really enjoy.

Before that, I worked on print projects at another agency. That's where I found my love for project management before moving into digital.

What made you want to put yourself forward as an EO rep?

Alice: About a year and a half ago, I joined the Purpose Team, which was a first for Engage. We look after things like volunteering, pro bono work, charity partnerships and initiatives that help us be a force for good as a business.

Being part of that gave me a better understanding of how the business operates. I got to see what our pro bono work costs, how we factor that into running the business commercially and how those decisions are made.

I also really enjoyed having regular touchpoints with the wider team, particularly giving updates in our weekly studio meetings.

As my time on the Purpose Team was coming to an end, I wanted to keep doing something similar. I hadn't planned to put myself forward as an EO rep, but people encouraged me to go for it, which gave me the confidence to do it. Having that support gave me the push I needed.

Yas: Seeing what Matt and Charlotte achieved really inspired me. They opened the door to more conversations about our culture and employee ownership, and I wanted to build on that.

I was initially worried about balancing the role with my responsibilities as Head of Social. But then I was in the gym doing leg presses and thought, "If not me, then who?" So I went for it. 

It’s still early days, but what have you been getting involved in so far? 

Alice: Our main focus has been company culture. People tend to hibernate a bit during winter, so we want to keep everyone connected and finish the year on a high.

We've been working closely with HR, the social committees and finance to plan activities and understand how best to use the available budgets.

Yas: We've been planning our All Agency Days, awards and culture initiatives, while getting to grips with how the board works.

I think that planning has helped us get a front seat in leading those EO conversations. I want us to be able to give regular updates on what we've been doing, what impact it's had and what's coming next. It's about creating that momentum and making sure we're visible to everyone from the start.

We've already had a fantastic introduction to the role, representing Engage at the UK Agency awards ceremony in London and coming away with Digital Agency of the Year, and Marketing Agency of the Year. 

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You both come at the role from different roles and stages in your career. What do you think each of you will bring to the table?

Alice: I think I bring a calm approach. As a Project Manager, I have to be calm because if I'm not, my team won't be either!

I'm used to balancing priorities, asking the right questions and keeping things moving without stepping on anybody's toes. I think that'll be useful in board meetings when we're trying to find common ground and work out what happens next.

Yas: Over the last five years, I've built a lot of confidence in leadership, speaking out and speaking up when it's needed.

I think I can bring that confidence to the role, particularly when it comes to saying, "This is what's happening in the agency, this is why it's important and here’s where we need to make an impact."

Then, with Alice's support, we can bring in the rationale around what those decisions mean for us longer term. I think we'll find a really good balance between us. And hopefully my energy will help carry us through!

Being an EO rep means making sure everyone has a voice. How do you plan to stay connected with the wider team and keep that conversation going?

Yas: Feedback is going to be really important. We want to understand how people are feeling about the business and whether the things we're doing are making a difference.

We've got plenty of initiatives planned, but we need to understand their impact. Even bringing pastries into the office got a lovely response. It's a small gesture, but sometimes those little details make all the difference.

Alice: For me, a lot of it comes down to having those informal conversations. Things like pub trips and socials are great because they're casual, there's no pressure and people feel comfortable sharing how they're feeling.

I've already noticed that, since becoming an EO rep, people will come up to me and mention things that are on their minds. I'm not saying I'm a one-stop shop for fixing every issue! But I can listen, offer a friendly face and help point people in the right direction.

Looking ahead, what would you love to achieve during your time as EO reps?

Alice: I want to help maintain a strong culture and make sure people across the business feel connected.

I'll measure success by how the business is doing and how people are feeling. We're still finding our feet, so I'm sure we'll develop some bigger goals as we go.

Yas: I'd love to bring more structure to the role, with a clear plan behind what we're doing and why.

Matt and Charlotte did a brilliant job establishing the foundations and making sure employee-owners have a voice at board level. Now we can build on that and show the impact we're making.

When the next EO reps take over in two years, I'd love to hand them something they can build on too.

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Matt and Charlotte did a fantastic job as our first EO reps, helping create a blueprint for the role, opening up conversations across the agency and making sure our employee owners have a voice at board level. They've laid some brilliant foundations, and I'm excited to see Yas and Alice build on that work, bring their own ideas to the table and help shape the future of Engage. I've every confidence they'll do a fantastic job.

Alex Willcocks, Engage

Founder

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We’ve set ourselves a pretty big ambition: to become the UK’s most successful EO agency. What does that look like to you?

Alice: I think we're already well on our way. Our recent inclusion as the highest-rated EO in The Drums Indie 100 demonstrates that. 

I also think EO is already ingrained in our culture and the way we work. One of the biggest examples of that, for me, is how commercially minded everyone is.

From the board right through to the wider team, people understand the business, what we're working towards and what it takes to get there.

That clarity helps us take ownership of our work and deliver for our clients. I think that's a big part of what will make us successful.

Yas: I think the transparency we have around where we're heading as a business gives people the confidence to push themselves further.

Changes to our review cycles and competency framework have already given people more clarity about their development. 

Over the next two years, I'd love to hear more stories from people who've grown in confidence or progressed because of something we've introduced.

For me, people are at the heart of everything we do at Engage. The more we can help people feel ambitious and confident in what they're doing, the more achievable our vision will become.

Curious about employee ownership, or want to see what working with a genuinely employee-owned agency feels like? We'd love to tell you more. Get in touch.