Robert Oakeshott Lectures
The Robert Oakeshott Lecture is one of the UK’s leading annual public lectures on employee ownership, mutuality and responsible business. Established by the Employee Ownership Association in memory of Robert Oakeshott, the lecture brings together internationally recognised leaders from business, government and academia to explore the future of ownership, work and the economy.
Each year, the lecture considers the opportunities and challenges facing organisations, economies and society through the lens of ownership and participation. While inspired by Robert Oakeshott’s vision, it is deliberately forward-looking, inviting distinguished speakers to examine some of the most pressing questions of our time, including business purpose, leadership, economic resilience, governance, employee participation and the future of work.
2026 Robert Oakeshott Lecture
The 2026 Robert Oakeshott Lecture is hosted by the Centre on Mutual & Co-owned Business at Kellogg College, University of Oxford.
The event is generously sponsored by European law firm Fieldfisher, a longstanding champion of employee ownership. Fieldfisher supported Robert Oakeshott on numerous initiatives in the UK and internationally, and continuing to advance his vision of wider employee participation and shared ownership through legal innovation, policy development and practical implementation.
Details of the 2026 event will be announced in due course
About Robert Oakeshott
Robert Oakeshott (1933 – 2011) was one of the UK’s foremost advocates of employee ownership. In 1979, he founded Job Ownership Ltd, which later became the Employee Ownership Association (EOA), and devoted more than three decades to demonstrating how broader ownership could create stronger businesses, more engaged employees and a fairer economy.
His work helped transform employee ownership from a relatively little-known concept into an increasingly influential business model. Today, thousands of UK businesses operate under employee ownership, demonstrating the value of long-term stewardship, shared purpose and employee engagement.
The annual lecture was established to commemorate Oakeshott’s extraordinary contribution while continuing the conversation he began.
Previous Robert Oakeshott Lectures
Since its inception, it has welcomed an impressive range of speakers, including senior government ministers, leading economists, business leaders and internationally renowned academics. Their lectures have reflected the evolution of employee ownership itself, from an emerging idea to an increasingly important part of discussions about productivity, inclusive growth and responsible capitalism.