Celebrating 50 years of partnership

From the very start our founder, Max, sought a collaborative approach to running a business, to encourage shared responsibility and a feeling of ownership. He felt that designing a system for people to work in productively and creatively was as important as the design of the buildings themselves. 

Max's school (the progressive Dartington Hall School) had been a democracy, so why not the business? Max sought a partnership approach to running the business, to encourage shared responsibility and a feeling of ownership. To this day, all our Partners and employees share this sense of commitment and duty towards each other, our collaborators, and our projects. 

The first iteration of our partnership was in 1974; Max Fordham & Partners. The partnership grew and led to a second partnership, Max Fordham Associates, being formed the next decade. In 2001, with the creation of Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), we became the very first LLP in the UK construction industry. The principles of the first partnership agreement from 1974 formed the basis of the 2001 partnership agreement and still remain to this day.

In essence, we’re an employee-owned business and our culture thrives on open, honest, collaborative relationships based on mutual trust and respect. We strive to build a diverse partnership that is truly representative of the society we live in. Our commitment is not only to eliminate and avoid discrimination but to create an environment where our differences are celebrated and valued. We see all employees as ‘Partners-in-waiting’ and offer all employees the opportunity to join the partnership after four years.

Alasdair Reid, Max Fordham Director and Chair of Managing Partners, said: "Its inception depended on the generosity of our founder who essentially shared his creation with his co-workers past, present and future, to all their benefit. The model allows everyone to become an equal member while they work here, irrespective of their financial status or role – it genuinely does share the reward and the responsibility. 

"Max thought this was a good thing to do and that all businesses ought to do the same – but not all business founders and owners are so generous. So, we really should celebrate the fact that we have this ownership model. The partnership means we can collectively determine the way we want to do things, in an open and collaborative environment with people who share a common set of aims and values."