Cwmbran-based Gwasg Pia has made the move to employee ownership, nearly 40 years after it was founded as a cooperative in 1985.

Set up as a typesetting business designing and producing printing plates, the company changed direction after winning a contract to publish a braille handbook for a BBC Radio 4 programme.

It became a limited company in 1992, developing Braille Maker, the UK’s leading braille translation software.

Sharon Williams of Gwasg Pia (Image: Submitted) Sharon Williams joined the company in 1999 without an official job title became managing director in 2004 and taking over as solo owner in 2017.

She decided that securing the company’s future lies in it returning to its roots in the cooperative movement, to become employee owned.

At 53, and with no plans to leave the business, she is keen to ensure the transition into employee ownership is properly cemented before looking to reduce her working hours or towards retirement – which she doesn’t foresee happening for many years to come.

Sharon said: “Employee ownership for Pia as a business has always been a long-term ambition of mine, but I didn’t want to have to make that decision and make the changes at crisis point, when I wanted to retire.

“I feel the time is right now for us to make the move to employee ownership, so I can remain as managing director and let the new business model bed in properly, ensuring our management team and 45 staff members are fully on board with the new structure.”

Darwin Gray provided legal advice to Gwasg Pia on its EOT transition, and the business was also supported throughout the process by the EO team at Cwmpas.

The Employee Ownership Wales service from Cwmpas is part of Social Business Wales and of the Business Wales family, both funded by Welsh Government.