THE CO-FOUNDER of Altrincham based professional services advisory firm Oakwood Corporate Services has been invited by The King to a Reception at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday 16 November to recognise the contribution of small businesses to the UK economy.

Muriel Thorne, a fellow of The Chartered Governance Institute (formerly the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators), left law firm Addleshaw Goddard in 2009 to set-up Oakwood with colleague Michael Harris.

The firm has grown to become a leading provider of company secretarial, company formation and compliance services.

Oakwood advises listed groups, private equity backed companies, SMEs and not for profit organisations and clients include GE, Thermo Fisher Scientific, MoneySupermarket, Countrywide, JD Sports and The Hut Group.

Of the invitation to the Palace, Thorne said:

“When I saw the envelope with the royal insignia, I was intrigued. When I opened it and saw the invitation, I was completely taken aback.”

Nominated by The Chartered Governance Institute, Thorne is thrilled to be representing Oakwood, her profession and the many small businesses that play such a substantial part in the UK’s economy.

She believes there are three possible reasons why Oakwood may have stood out for recognition:

“Oakwood has grown year-on-year since Michael and I launched it so it could be that we’re seen as a good example of a business succeeding from a standing start. It might be that Oakwood is seen as a great example of a business that has gone into employee ownership and thrived. Or it might simply be that our graduate training programme is a noteworthy example of giving young people a clear and rewarding career path.

“Whatever the reasons, I’m incredibly proud to have been invited and very excited. It’s a wonderful reflection of the achievements of all the team here at Oakwood over the past thirteen years.”

Thorne has remained active in the business since the transfer of a majority shareholding to an employee trust in 2021. At the time, she said:

“We are keen to preserve the independence of the business and secure its long-term future. We have
created ways of working and a culture that our colleagues and clients really appreciate. We wanted to protect the values and ethos of the business, which have helped us grow so successfully.

“In setting up an employee ownership trust, we are recognising the loyalty, dedication and sheer hard work of our team. The shared purpose, culture and engagement that employee ownership brings is a natural extension of what we feel makes Oakwood such a special place to work.

“As far as our clients are concerned, it’s business as usual but they’ll have the added reassurance of knowing that whoever they deal with at Oakwood now has a vested interest in delivering the best possible service.”