Local cyber security company completes employee ownership transition - led by two of its employees

When Dion and Laura attended DTX Manchester last year, they were there to pitch cyber security services. They left with something they hadn't expected: a conversation that would change the direction of their careers entirely.

That conversation was with Craig Council, CTO of Valloop. And instead of walking away with a new client, Dion and Laura walked away with a question they couldn't stop thinking about.

"We tried selling Craig cyber security and he ended up selling us the dream of employee ownership."

The question nobody thinks to ask

For most employees - even senior ones - business ownership feels like something that happens to other people. People with capital. People with the right connections. People from the right backgrounds.

Dion and Laura didn't come from those backgrounds. And for a long time, that felt like a full stop.

Employee Ownership changed that equation. No personal borrowing. No outside investor taking control. Just a structured, supported path to owning the business you've already helped build.

But knowing the model exists and actually believing it could apply to you are two very different things.

The moment Dion decided to find out came on a drive back from a meeting with one of NG Security's founding owners, in his 60s, and ready to exit. He wasn't interested in selling to a trade buyer who might dismantle everything he and his co-founder had spent years building.

"He didn't want to sell to his competitors. He didn't want to sell to a company where in three years' time, no one that was NGS would work there and NGS didn't exist. For him, it was about legacy."

Sitting in that car, Dion made the call. I think I've got a way we could buy this business.

His response: I'd be really interested in that. Talk to me.

The next morning, Dion walked into his office with a plan.

The part nobody talks about enough

The deal moved quickly. But the internal journey was slower.

Both Dion and Laura are open about the imposter syndrome that ran alongside the entire process - the persistent, quiet voice that said: you don't belong here.

"You're going from an employee to an owner when you've come from such humble backgrounds. You do get to a point where you think they're going to find out. They're going to find out I shouldn't really be here. - Laura"

Dion felt it too. I put so many barriers in the way. Why would I? Why me?

What shifted it wasn't a single moment of certainty. It was a growing clarity about vision - what NG Security could become, and who was best placed to take it there.

"As we went through the process, I realised I've got a really strong vision of where I want the company to be. So why shouldn't it be me? - Dion"

What ownership actually means

Dion and Laura deliberately chose not to take traditional CEO titles. They lead together, as equals - each with their own role, and a shared stake in what they're building.

For Laura, becoming an owner didn't give her a voice she didn't already have. It made that voice permanent.

"Especially as a woman coming into this industry, to have a voice at the table is already a massive thing. But when you become an owner, your voice is the loudest. - Laura"

The moment the weight of it landed most for Dion was telling the team.

"Seeing their reactions - they were excited. Not just for us and the business, but for themselves. Knowing they're going to be part of something pretty cool. That was the best part. Absolutely. - Dion"

For every senior leader sitting on that question

Today is National Employee Ownership Day. And if you're a senior leader who's ever wondered whether business ownership could be something that happens to you - Dion and Laura's message is direct.

The biggest barrier isn't the process. It's believing you're someone it could happen to.

"Don't let imposter syndrome get the better of you. Just keep going. Keep going. Don't stop. - Laura"

Key facts: NG Security's employee ownership transition

• Company: NG Security - Leeds-based cyber security business

• New co-owners: Two senior employees (Dion and Laura), transitioning from employee to owner

• Route: Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) - no personal borrowing required from incoming owners

• Legacy: The founding owner wanted to protect the culture and team he had built over more than 20 years

• Platform: Valloop - transition completed in months rather than years

• How it started: A chance conversation at DTX Manchester between the incoming owners and Valloop's CTO

At Valloop, we built our platform to make employee ownership transitions possible for people exactly like Dion and Laura - senior leaders who have the vision, the relationships, and the capability to take a business forward, but who've never seen a clear path to ownership.

And we're proud that it started with a conversation at a conference, a brave question to the owner and two people with the same drive who didn't look back.