CEO gives ₹2,000 crore in bonus to employees after selling family business

A la. Adult male turned real-life Santa Claus after ensuring that his employees received a cut of the money he earned from selling his family business. Graham Walker distributed $240 million (approx ₹2,155.7 crore) among 540 members of his staff.

Graham Walker recently sold his family’s company, Fibrebond. However, his condition for the prospective buyer was that his employees would receive 15% of the proceeds from the acquisition, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Walker told the outlet that he rewarded his employees as a gesture of gratitude for sticking with the company even during the tough times. The payout started in June. The average bonus was $443,000, payable over five years, provided the employee remained with the organisation for the specified period.

The former CEO recalled that some of his employees thought it was a prank when the distributions started. There were also those who became very emotional.

Walker told the outlet that the staff spent the money on various things, including paying the mortgage, slashing debt, buying cars, paying college tuition, and even building retirement funds.

The 46-year-old recalled, “Some spent it on day one, maybe even night number one,” adding, “Ultimately, it’s their decision, good or bad.”

One of the employees, who started working at the company in 1995 at an hourly wage of $5.35 and now leads a team of 18 people, told the outlet that she used the bonus to pay off her mortgage. She also fulfilled her dream of opening a clothing boutique.

“Before, we were going paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “I can live now; I’m grateful.”

Usually, employees receive a large payout during the sale of a company if they own shares in the company. What sets Walker’s gesture apart is that the employees who received the bonus don't own a piece of the business.

The news soon made its way to X, prompting varied responses. An individual wrote, “Now that is a nice Christmas story.” Another added, “True generosity like this is rare these days.”

A third posted, “This is the kind of capitalism we need more of. A boss who sees his team as family, not just labour. Graham Walker didn't just sell a company—he gave 540 people life-changing futures. Real leadership. Merry Christmas indeed.” A fourth commented, “Life changing for real. This kind of move echoes decades later.”

Fibrebond was started by Walker’s father, Claud Walker, in 1982. In 1998, it faced a major hurdle when its factory burned to the ground. Though business took a hit, Claud continued paying the salaries of the employees. Eventually, the company found a stable ground and business flourished.

However, during the dot-com bubble burst, it faced a major crisis, which led to the laying off of hundreds of employees. In the mid-2000s, Graham Walker began running the company alongside his brother. Although the business was going through a tough time, the staff remained loyal. Slowly, things began to change, and Walker even introduced group bonuses for teams that met safety and other targets.

The turnaround came with a risky $150 million investment when the company started building modular power enclosures for data centres. Eventually, Fibrebond’s sales climbed nearly 400% and drew attention from larger industrial players.

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