The mission of Voys

Our purpose

Voys is a steward owned organization

Voys is a steward owned organization. This means that the company is not owned by private or external shareholders, but that Voys is owned by itself.

Steward ownership facilitates a number of things:

• It separates voting rights and profit rights.
• This allows Voys to put the mission at the centre and make our profits serve the mission.
• In doing so, important decisions are made in the interest of the mission and not in the interest of shareholders or for profit maximization.
• Thus, the profits from Voys benefit the mission and society.
• And steward ownership ensures self-determination. In other words, the company can govern itself.

What does this look like?

There are four foundations that hold rights within the Voys structure.

1. 💂‍♀️ Voys Stewards Foundation Short version of the mission: Safeguarding the mission of the Voys Group and the continuity of Voys as responsible shareholder based on the principles of steward ownership. The Voys Stewards Foundation holds the voting rights. As shareholder they can vote on big picture decisions, like larger investments, whether they fit the mission of Voys. They also assign the Circle Lead of the Voys Group. This is the person that enacts the purpose of Voys. The board of the foundation consists of three members. They represent:
1. The mission and vision of Voys Group
2. Our customers and partners
3. Our colleagues
2. 🏦 Voys Ventures Short version of the mission:
1. Supporting the continuity and progress of the Voys Group.
2. Creating system value by investing in initiatives with a social purpose in line with the mission of the Voys Social Return Foundation

Voys Ventures holds the shares with economic rights. They can invest the profits in initiatives that create system value, including the Voys Group.

3. 💸 Voys Social Return Short version of the mission: Supporting and encouraging initiatives that generate sustainable positive change and system value and facilitate a more equal world. We want Voys to be 🔄A meaningful business. Voys Social Return is the sole holder of certificates to the economic shares held by Voys Ventures and as such gets parts of the profits of Voys to donate to and invest in initiatives that are in line with its mission.
4. 🪙 Golden Share Foundation We will also issue a so-called priority share to the Golden Share Foundation. This share holds special veto rights regarding decisions that affect the integrity of the steward owned structure of Voys. Should the situation arise in the distant future to reevaluate the structure, this foundation offers the opportunity to do this while still safeguarding the principles of steward ownership.

To use an analogy: This is both the lock on the door and the edit button for our governance structure. Our priority share has not been issued yet, because we want to take at least a year to test the new structure before putting a lock on the door.

Visual overview

Foundations and board members

Documentation used by Voys

Voys articles

If you want to learn more about the motivations on becoming a steward owned organization, you can read these articles that we have published.

English

• The founders of Voys choose steward ownership and donate the company to itself
• This is how we protect our mission: steward ownership makes Voys future-proof
• I’m giving away my multi-million dollar company and this is why

Dutch

• Oprichters Voys kiezen voor steward ownership en schenken bedrijf aan zichzelf
• Ik geef mijn miljoenenbedrijf grotendeels weg en dit is waarom
• Zo beschermen wij onze missie: steward ownership maakt Voys toekomstbestendig
• Kabinet gooit de deur dicht voor maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen

External publications

Our steward ownership adventure got quite some attention in the media. Below you will find a list of TV interviews, radio interviews, podcasts and online articles that were published following our transition to becoming a steward owned organization.

To watch and listen

• Bar Laat: Dutch talkshow where Mark talks about steward ownership 📺
• BNR: Dutch radio show where Mark talks about steward ownership 📻
• NPO Radio 1: Dutch radio show where Mark talks about steward ownership 📻
• BusinessWise: Dutch podcast series We are Stewards with Mark and Pollien as guests 🎧

To read

• NRC: ‘Waarom zou al dat geld míj toekomen? Omdat ik toevallig de oprichter ben?’
• DvhN: 'Ik ben straks gewoon werknemer', zegt Mark Vletter
• Corporate Rebels: Voys Steps into Steward-Ownership: A Bold Move for Equality and Purpose
• Quote: Selfmade miljonair Mark Vletter (43) geeft bedrijf weg
• Omdenken: Je bedrijf weggeven
• Emerce: Oprichters Voys kiezen voor steward ownership en schenken bedrijf aan zichzelf
• MT/Sprout: Hoe Mark Vletter zijn bedrijf Voys opnieuw inricht voor steward ownership
• De Ondernemer: Waarom Mark Vletter Voys weggeeft en verandert naar steward ownership
• Computable: Oprichters gieten Voys in een stichtingsvorm
• ITchannelPro: Oprichters Voys kiezen voor steward ownership

Contact

If you have any questions about our steward ownership experiences and insights, feel free to get in touch. We’re happy to answer your questions.