![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F08%2FMake-London-Studio-2022_9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=137&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=53a493240cf8cdf11f88f9899c7620ec 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F08%2FMake-London-Studio-2022_9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=274&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=9de40ce798bc225f461b5731a620d731 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F08%2FMake-London-Studio-2022_9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=501&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=eca5c6d989caa25e99fb2aea99063423 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F08%2FMake-London-Studio-2022_9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=668&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=9efff9926ad097da6a2ed3f366c1edad 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F08%2FMake-London-Studio-2022_9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=913&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=f81cb27410cdc724d8221f3439fce830 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F08%2FMake-London-Studio-2022_9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1043&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=df7213a0a545b923cf21380069325c80 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F08%2FMake-London-Studio-2022_9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1252&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=808e1a486cee66b09a305e44cc35c402 1920w)
Make has always been 100% employee owned. When setting out to form a new practice in 2004, our founder Ken Shuttleworth had big ideas about what Make could be. He wanted to create something different, imagining a workplace where everyone had a say and solutions were found together. He decided on a structure where every employee is an owner, can influence decisions, and receives an annual profit share.
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Today Make is an international practice with 150 employees across four studios, and employee ownership is still a big part of who we are. It’s a perfect fit with our culture, which values cooperation, not competition. Ideas, not egos.
Director Jason Parker elaborates: “From a design point of view, the whole process is energised. There’s no top-down instruction, which is empowering. Design requires lots of directions and voices, so the more diverse and collaborative the teams, the better. Employee ownership underpins that.”
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It translates into a sense of pride and community amongst Makers, who regularly bring friends and family to the studio, and socialise with each other outside of work. We’re culturally connected to each city we work in, but the Make ethos flourishes in each studio, uniting us as One Make.
As a business model, employee ownership has provided a robust foundation for a successful business. It’s proved a strong factor in recruitment and retention, created a space for internal transparency and feedback, and weathered the inevitable ups and downs of the global economy, as well as crises like Covid-19. It’s a true asset.