June 16 - Workshop - The legal embedding of steward-ownership principles - for lawyers, tax advisors, accountants, and notaries

Steward-ownership is an interesting option for companies looking to safeguard their purpose and mission through their legal DNA. As a result, it is not only suitable for mission-driven entrepreneurs or start-ups but also for family businesses and as an alternative approach to business succession.

As more companies adopt steward-ownership, support for these businesses becomes increasingly important. Steward-ownership is a legal ownership structure that can be implemented within the existing framework of Belgian corporate law. However, this concept challenges – besides entrepreneurs - lawyers, tax advisors, accountants, and notaries to let go of certain conventional assumptions and embrace new paradigms.

In this workshop, we will explore both the core principles and the key legal (and tax) considerations relevant to establishing or transitioning to a steward-ownership structure.

The principles of steward-ownership are not new; they have been applied for decades by businesses large and small across various sectors worldwide. In recent years, however, steward-ownership has been gaining significant momentum—particularly in Germany and the Netherlands. Now, Belgium is also experiencing this growing interest.

14:00 - 17:00

On June 16, we will focus on the various legal aspects of steward-ownership:

• Using real-world examples, we will dive deeper into the two key principles of steward-ownership from a legal perspective (Perpetual Independence and Profit Serves Mission) and explore the different models available.

• How steward-ownership principles can be incorporated into legal documents such as company statutes and shareholder agreements.

• Insights into the Golden Share model with veto rights. For example, the main task of the Belgian Golden Share Foundation is solely to ensure the legally binding principles of steward-ownership. This ensures that the company cannot be turned into a speculative asset, and its resources cannot be diverted.

• Best practices and case studies from Belgium, Germany, and beyond.

• Identifying the tax and practical implications of transitioning to steward-ownership

After this workshop, every participant will be able to apply the principles of steward-ownership, provide legal advice, and recognize which companies would truly benefit from this structure.

Steward-ownership fundamentally challenges what a company is, whom it serves, and why it exists.

As a field-builder, Steward-owned vzw/asbl makes this new form of ownership accessible to all. Through research and knowledge-sharing, we lower barriers and strengthen the ecosystem for the Steward-ownership community.

16/6 @ Commons Hub - Brussels (first floor)

(Workshop in English – limited spots available)