Welsh high-voltage engineering specialist, Winshall, has become employee-owned as it prepares for further growth after securing a place on a major £80bn National Grid framework.
Founders Gareth Wintle and Kevin Shallish have completed the transfer of the Llantrisant-based business to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). The move gives its employees a stake in Winshall’s future and the opportunity to benefit financially from its continued growth.
The transition comes five years after Mr Wintle and Mr Shallish established Winshall, which provides civil, mechanical and electrical engineering and project management services for construction projects in high-voltage environments. Its work includes modifying transmission substations to enable new connections to the electricity network and replacing equipment that has reached the end of its operational life.
During that period, annual turnover has risen from £1m to £12m and remains on course to reach £24m by April 2027. Winshall now employs 17 permanent staff and works with around 100 subcontractors.
Gareth Wintle, co-founder and director of Winshall, said:
“Winshall has not only built a growing business but also created an environment where staff can develop professionally with direct support from senior management. It’s testament to the company’s working environment that no permanent employee has left during its five years in operation.
“If we’re going to attract the right people, we need to give them more than a good salary. We need to give them a long-term career where they can be promoted through the ranks and potentially run the company one day.
“The people who help us grow the business will be rewarded and that was central to our decision to become employee-owned.”
Alongside the move to employee ownership, Winshall has secured a place on National Grid’s QUDM Lot 2 framework, which has a potential value of £80bn through to 2050. It allows National Grid to award projects directly to Winshall without requiring a full tender for every opportunity.
Mr Wintle and Mr Shallish’s extensive experience of working directly for National Grid, including developing procedures and contributing to industry working groups, has given Winshall a detailed understanding of the organisation’s standards and requirements.
Around 80% of Winshall’s work takes place on National Grid transmission sites. It is currently working on more than 15 projects across England and Wales, including a £9m-plus Sellindge Pathfinder contract in Kent.
Kevin Shallish, co-founder and director of Winshall, said:
“Lot 2 is big for us. It has already opened up our market, with other clients seeing that we’re on the framework and coming to us.
“We’re the smallest company on Lot 2 by a long way, competing alongside some huge players. That’s testament to our experience and expertise we have in this market.”
Winshall’s other clients include Envolve, M Group, Statera Energy, GSS, Dagem Power Morson Praxis and Welsh Power.
Winshall aims to increase turnover to £30m by 2028 and exceed £36m by 2031, when it expects to employ at least 25 permanent members of staff. It also plans to move to larger premises by 2030.
Reflecting the scale of its growth in just five years, Winshall has also been invited to the UK Fast Growth Awards 2026 at ICC Wales in Newport later this month. The awards recognise fast-growing firms across every UK sector, region and nation.
Mr Wintle added:
“We think we’ve got the processes in place to grow the business. The only thing restricting us is getting more of the right people and building the teams needed to deliver these projects.
“We want people in our local area to know there are opportunities here for them. If they want to develop within a business and build a long career in the industry, we’re a good starting point. Developing skills within South Wales is key for us.”
