Established in 1995, Damia has headquarters in Guildford, with offices in Edinburgh and Portugal. The company’s employees own the business through an Employee Ownership Trust, and will all enjoy equal shares of its profits, as well as having a say in the business through the trust with employees on the board, a company statement said.

“Employee ownership allows us to give our people a bigger stake in the business,” explains Chris Bardoe, founder of Damia Group. “Many of our team have worked for us for a long time, and some of them have been with us since the business was established. Employee ownership roots these jobs in the region for the longer term.”

According to the Employee Ownership Association, companies that are employee-owned, or who have a large and significant employee ownership stake, now contribute £30bn to the UK’s gross domestic product.

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