Tony is just champion

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing employee member Tony Dempsey

Tony Dempsey is celebrating after being named as Employee Ownership Champion at the Philip Baxendale Awards in Birmingham. Named after a pioneer for the employee-owned movement, the awards are the UK’s dedicated celebration of excellence in employee ownership.

Tony is employed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) as Disrepair and Cyclical Maintenance Manager and he is an elected employee representative on the RBH Shadow Representative Body. Previously, he was one of four employees elected to the Constitutional Commission, which worked over a six-month period to devise new mutual rules, grappling along the way with detailed legal and governance issues to produce the new RBH constitution.

Tony said: "I’m thrilled to have received this award. It has been a real team effort and I’m delighted that the hard work of so many RBH employees is being recognised.”

Gareth Swarbrick, Chief Executive of RBH, said: "Tony has been an unwavering champion for employee membership of RBH. He has worked tirelessly, undertaking activities in addition to and far removed from his day to day work. He has shown honesty and pragmatism in tackling challenging issues, and his determination to make the mutual RBH work has been inspirational for his colleagues. I'm delighted that his commitment has been recognised by such a prestigious award."

Campbell McDonald, Director of Public Sector Practice, Baxi Partnership, said: “Tony Dempsey, the winner of the Employee Ownership Champion Award stands out as a frank and unwavering champion of employee ownership. Passionate in his belief of mutual ownership as making a real difference in public service delivery, Tony has consistently supported and promoted employee ownership within Rochdale Boroughwide Housing and beyond."