Meet Alex – from MD of a family business to supporter of Great EO
- Telos Partners
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
‘I know what leaders go through in business. I’ve sat in the seat of the CEO, been MD in a family-owned business – I appreciate what’s involved.’
Alex Bloom’s lived experience as a leader is integral to his impact as a Partner with Telos Partners today.
But until 2019 his focus was on products – first in roles with United Biscuits and L’Oreal, then with his fourth-generation family business.
So what changed?
He did. Having become MD after a decade, Alex realised that leading his family’s business wasn’t what he wanted to do for the rest of his career.
‘I loved being MD at first, but then I realised that although my focus had been in products I was more interested in people,’ he explains.
So he set his exit plan in motion and started looking for his next role...
The search took him to Telos Partners, where he quickly realised that our values aligned with his own. He joined in summer 2020. ‘I haven’t looked back,’ he says.
Finding his purpose with Telos Partners
'I wanted to be with people who could support and stretch me, to work with people with a growth mindset'
As part of his search for a new role, Alex had gained a coaching qualification so, once at Telos Partners, it was natural he combine that new skill with his sound commercial experience to support leaders through the challenge of change.
His own career pivot had clarified the ‘sense of fulfilment’ he was seeking – and his desire to do work that would bring ‘a clear and direct benefit’ to those he would support.
‘I wanted to be surrounded by people who could support and stretch me, to work with people with a growth mindset,’ he adds.
No surprise then that he particularly enjoys Telos Partners’ work in the employee-owned (EO) sector. Indeed one of his first projects was with the eoa.
Combining great business with Great EO
As Alex explains: ‘Many challenges that employee-owned businesses face are similar to those faced by family businesses. That means I have a strong understanding of the constraints they face.
‘I also like the employee ownership sector’s camaraderie, the common values and ethos, and the willingness to share.
‘I’ve experienced most aspects of the business lifecycle during my career, so I can see there’s a lot of overlap between great business and great EO.’
Understanding the challenge of change
He also understands the challenge of change, with the positive impact he has on leaders a reflection of his first-hand experience of the role.
Having been through the succession process himself – and been involved with the eoa’s ‘Road to Succession’ report in 2023 – he knows how to enable exiting and incoming leaders to navigate that transition.
‘I have a personal interest in leadership and enabling leaders and their teams to clarify what success looks like,’ he says.
‘The Telos ‘Swirl’ starts with a leader’s ambition and ends with renewal. I find that exciting.’
Strengthening the value of JGA’s merger with Telos
Exciting too has been Alex’s role in shaping JGA’s merger with Telos Partners.
This was completed in January 2025, when the UK’s largest independent multi-service provider of commercial, cultural and engagement support to the EO sector moved into the Telos Partners ‘fold’.
A highlight of the journey was the launch (in November 2024) of our new joint services offer for clients who are thinking of becoming employee-owned as part of their succession planning – or are already employee-owned.
‘Our joint employee ownership proposition puts the client at the centre of what we do in a way that’s authentic to both Telos Partners and JGA,’ says Alex.
‘It enables us to use our wealth of business experience to benefit clients by unlocking active, responsible ownership.
‘I’ve already seen our impact. Now we’ve merged, the prospect of doing this at a greater scale is genuinely exciting.’
Read more about our employee ownership support here.
Looking forward to the future
'I'm looking forward to helping businesses use the EO Framework to develop the... understanding they need'
Looking ahead, Alex is also excited about Telos Partners’ role in bringing the eoa’s EO Framework to life.
Launched in 2024, the EO Framework provides a blueprint for Great EO for businesses at any point in their employee ownership journey.
It has been developed using insights from the eoa’s EO Knowledge Programme – in collaboration with the eoa, former eoa CEO Deb Oxley and former Baxendale MD and EO Knowledge Programme lead Campbell McDonald.
‘I’m looking forward to helping businesses use the EO Framework to develop the awareness and understanding they need to improve their approach to employee ownership,’ Alex says.
Enabling employee-owned businesses to navigate leadership succession is also high on his list, as the Telos Partners team builds on our involvement with the eoa’s ‘Road to Succession’ report.
Problem-solving with a coffee – and music
By any measure, that’s a full list. So what 5 things help Alex stay energised through his working day? Here’s what he says:
1. Strong black coffee, courtesy of my Nespresso Vertuo machine.
2. Getting away from my desk and getting some fresh air by taking my dog, Scooby, for a walk.
3. Spotify – music that matches the mood I’m in helps my productivity.
4. Helping people, both clients and colleagues, to resolve a problem they’re struggling with.
5. Exercise and laughter.
Find out how we can support you and your business. Get in touch with us today.
