We are delighted to welcome Jo Ritzema to our Employee Ownership Trust, which she has recently joined as a second Independent Trustee Director.

Jo brings over two decades of board-level leadership experience in employee owned businesses, mainly in a 22-year career at WCF Ltd, a part employee owned business spanning logistics, retail and leisure. Joining as Group Financial Controller in 2004, and quickly progressing to Finance Director, Jo then spent 13 years as Managing Director before retiring from the organisation in November 2025.

Throughout her time at WCF, Jo was heavily involved at the Employee Ownership Association (EOA), serving as both a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee for ten years. This deepened Jo’s understanding of EO models, governance structures, and the broader landscape of employee ownership in the UK, to add to her day-to-day hands-on experience of running an EO business herself.

A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Director, Jo has spent her career balancing a focus on improving board effectiveness, strategic oversight, and financial rigour, with the principles of employee ownership and values-led leadership. Jo is a passionate advocate for meaningful employee voice, having spent years embedding it into the culture and strategic decision-making at WCF.

Since leaving WCF, Jo has widened her portfolio of non-executive and independent trustee roles across employee-owned businesses: including as Independent Trustee Director and Chair of the Trust board at Alfa Holidays Group, and as Non-Executive Director at both Gripple and Loadhog.

In her spare time, Jo enjoys travelling, spending time outdoors, mentoring young leaders, and is a member of a global peer group for CEOs.

We are very much looking forward to having Jo as part of our Trust and are confident she will be an excellent guardian of the Baxendale employee ownership culture and values going forward.

Jo said “I’m delighted to be joining the Trust board. It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to support a business with such a strong commitment to employee ownership and its values. I hope to bring clarity, strategic and financial oversight, independent, constructive challenge and a steady focus on long‑term stewardship and success as we continue to strengthen the Trust on behalf of all employee‑owners.