Blogs

Employee share plan practitioners operating in Denmark: New rules in the making that you need to know

By Søren Hessellund Klausen posted 03-27-2018
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Text from IUNO's newsletter: In November 2017, the Danish government, the Danish People’s Party and the Danish Social-Liberal Party agreed on several initiatives in the industrial and entrepreneurial area. The agreed initiatives aim to make it more encouraging for employers to use employee share-based remuneration and easier to understand the rules on employee share plans, while also introducing more freedom of contract in this field. The purpose of the agreement is to create better conditions for employers by making it easier for companies to pay their employees in shares. This could especially benefit new, smaller companies with limited financial ...
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New Years reception from the GEO Romandie chapter in Lausanne and Zurich

By Michael Sterchi posted 01-03-2018
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Dear GEO Members and Friends The GEO Romandie Leadership team wishes you a happy and successful New Year. To celebrate the New Year and to discuss new ideas for the coming year, we made reservations for a New Year’s reception in Lausanne and Zurich. Both events are social events with no technical program but a lot of time to meet and network. The receptions will be at the following dates and places: 18 January starting 17 30 in Lausanne at Alpha Palmiers, Rue du Petit-Chêne 34 (clause to the train station) 25 January starting 17 30 in Zurich at the Time Lounge in Zurich main Station We will meet at the above location to have some appetiser ...
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Tax-Qualified Plans - Blessing or Curse?

By Barbara Klementz posted 08-25-2017
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​ When granting equity awards, one of the most important questions is the tax effect of such awards.  Granting awards that have a negative tax impact on the employee or the company is counter-productive and should lead companies to consider other ways to incentivize their employees.  On the other hand, should companies maximize the availability of favorable tax treatment for equity awards in certain countries?  This is not an easy question to answer. Favorable Tax Treatment – The Company vs. the Employee When we talk about favorable tax treatment, it can mean different things depending on the country and the qualified-tax plan.  The most basic distinction ...
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Talking Stock Podcast Series

By Kate Khan posted 11-01-2016
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Global Equity Guidance On Demand "Talking Stock," the new podcast series from Baker & McKenzie's Global Equity Services Practice, explores the latest international equity issues that pose the greatest risks, or present the greatest opportunities for your company’s global equity program. Each episode features GES lawyers providing key legal, tax and regulatory takeaways your equity compensation team should keep in mind when granting stock-based awards to employees in other countries. Each session offers quick, on-the-go learning opportunities to navigate the differences and complexities of share plan rules around the globe. Download these ...
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September 2016 Community News

By Robyn Shutak posted 09-28-2016
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Hot Topics on the Open Forum • Loans in Lieu of Equity to Senior Management • ESPP Auto-Enrollment with Opt-Out Period Domestic Mobility FATCA You are always welcome to join any of these conversations or start your own! Most Active Members Thanks to the following individuals who were our most active participants on GEOconnect in September . We appreciate your support. 1. Jen Kirk, Google 2. June Davenport, Solium 3. Nadine Franczyk, ServiceSource 4. Bill Storey, Stock & Option Solutions Call to Action Respond to Unanswered Questions The following posts ...
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August 2016 Community News

By Robyn Shutak posted 08-31-2016
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Here is a recap of the activity in GEOconnect in August: Hot Topics on the Open Forum • Stock Plan Administration - Data Management • Swaps to pay tax at grant in Belgium Allocating Options to US Residents Valuing LTI Buy-outs for Prospective Hires You are always welcome to join any of these conversations or start your own! Most Active Members Thanks to the following individuals who were our most active participants on GEOconnect in August . We appreciate your support. 1. Nicole Sloane, Kimberly-Clark 2. Robert Head, Reward Consultant 3. Max ...
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July 2016 Community News

By Robyn Shutak posted 07-26-2016
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Here is a recap of the activity in GEOconnect in July: Hot Topics on the Open Forum • Post-vest restrictions Beneficiary designations - RSUs Syndication of Employee Stock Purchase Plan • Black-Scholes Value and Participant Education You are always welcome to join any of these conversations or start your own! Most Active Members Thanks to the following individuals who were our most active participants on GEOconnect in July . We appreciate your support. 1. Nicole Sloane, Kimberly-Clark 2. Robert Head 3. Dana Dugan , Carnival 4. Clinton Shoap, Cargill ...
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Bringing GEO Awareness to Southern California

By Sheila Frierson posted 06-29-2016
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Southern California is a challenging chapter for GEO given the large geographic area and my commitment is to try and bring awareness to the organization through my network. My goal is to spread the word of GEO throughout my client base and network in the area. You can help too by spreading the word to your colleagues in the area. We have two upcoming local chapter meetings graciously hosted by KPMG: July 19th in Downtown Los Angeles - lunch meeting July 20th in Orange County - breakfast meeting Please help me spread the word as we try to grow membership and awareness
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June 2016 Community News

By Robyn Shutak posted 06-28-2016
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Here is a recap of the activity in GEOconnect in June: Hot Topics on the Open Forum 1. Communications to Mobile Participants 2. Changing from STC to share withholding for RSUs 3. Payment of dividends in South America - triggers tax return filing You are always welcome to join any of these conversations or start your own! Most Active Members Thanks to the following individuals who were our most active participants on GEOconnect in June. We appreciate your support. 1. Karen Needham , Ariad 2. Amanda Flint , Mercer 3. Joy White , DAI ...
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May 2016 Community News

By Robyn Shutak posted 05-31-2016
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Here is a recap of the activity in GEOconnect in May: Hot Topics on the Open Forum Grant acceptance - moving from active/positive to passive/negative //deemed - any stats? Top THREE Takeaways From Boston Syndication of Employee Stock Purchase Plan Participation You are always welcome to join any of these conversations or start your own! Most Active Members Thanks to the following individuals who were our most active participants on GEOconnect in May. We appreciate your support. 1. Nicole Sloane , Kimberly-Clark 2. Mitch Beaverson , Eli Lilly and Company 3. Dana Dugan , Carnival 4. June ...
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April 2016 Community News

By Robyn Shutak posted 05-01-2016
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Here is a recap of the activity in GEOconnect in April: Hot Topics on the Open Forum UK Government consultation on NIC elections • Program enhancements for employee share ownership plans • Singapore departure tax You are always welcome to join any of these conversations or start your own! Most Active Members Thanks to the following individuals who were our most active participants on GEOconnect in April . We appreciate your support. 1. Amanda Flint , Mercer 2. Robert Head 3. Dana Dugan , Carnival 4. Suzannah Crookes , Pinsent Masons ...
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Help! Harnessing Technology to Solve Your Toughest Problems

By Robyn Shutak posted 04-11-2016
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All companies want to offer equity on a global basis. It’s a noble goal, but an administrative nightmare when your internal systems such as HR, payroll and stock administration do not interface across borders. How do Human Resources and Payroll communicate vital employee information to you? How do you communicate back? How do you track and tax mobile employees appropriately? What do you do when there aren’t any resources available to you? Before you develop that manual process involving never ending spreadsheets, consider this: The answer may be to turn to tech tools – or maybe not! Before you can use tech tools to solve all ...
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Simplifying Share Movement for Your Global Participants

By Robyn Shutak posted 04-07-2016
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In the process of taking your equity plan global you’ve waded through paperwork and jumped through hoops and attended various industry sessions on taking a plan globally. You’ve had your documents translated, trained your local HR staff on the features of the plan and successfully communicated the plan. Your procedure documents have been updated and you’re feeling pretty good about the state of the plan going forward. Then why do you have that nagging feeling, your missing something? Have you really thought of everything or are there lurking challenges we need to be aware of? The answer is a resounding YES! Ask yourself; · Are we aware of ...
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Rethinking Equity and Empowering Employees - Innovative Approaches and Sweeping Changes

By Robyn Shutak posted 04-04-2016
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Most people agree that, for most things, it’s nice to have a choice. Who doesn’t love a choice?! Would you ever go to a restaurant that only served one dish? Would you load your golf bag with only one club? How does that apply to the issuing of equity awards? Given that equity compensation represents a significant portion of total compensation for many executives and, in some cases, other employees, it is surprising how homogeneous many equity programs are. A few brave souls are breaking out of the box and offering a new twist on old favorites and some new ones. Oracle Corporation (Oracle) and International Fragrances and Flavors (IFF) have put ...
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March 2016 Community News

By Robyn Shutak posted 03-30-2016
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Here is a recap of this month's activity in GEOconnect and more. Hot Topics on the Open Forum • China Safe • Translating Equity Plan Documents Articles of Grant Practices Private Company Tracking If you missed our online discussion on mobility and the business traveler, please feel free to review the conversation here anytime: EXPERTconnect: Mobility and the Business Traveler You are always welcome to join any of these conversations or start your own! Most Active Members Thanks to the following individuals who were our most active participants on GEOconnect in ...
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Post Vesting Holding Restrictions From Concept to Reality

By Robyn Shutak posted 03-28-2016
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It is rare that everything comes together nicely. But that’s what appears to be happening with post vesting holding restrictions in the US. This sleeper plan design lever came out of relative obscurity and is now the talk of the town. It’s no wonder… Post vest holding restrictions can deliver a lot of benefits, including better corporate governance, expediting ownership requirements, facilitating clawbacks, and delivering accounting benefits. First, a primer... What is a post vesting holding restriction? Mandatory holding periods can be baked into the grant terms and prevent executives from selling vested equity until additional requirements are met— ...
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Global Hot Spots – New Issues and Trends

By Robyn Shutak posted 03-15-2016
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The past 12 months has been a busy time for compliance for stock plans operating on a global basis. Join Bob Grayson and Jordan Levy from Tapestry Compliance LLP, and Erin Miner, Director and head of the Executive Compensation practice at Credit Suisse (NY office) at GEO's 17th Annual Conference next month for a look at the global hot spots for stock plans and discuss various key changes around the world. Tapestry help our clients with their global incentive plans every day. Not only will we look at developments in specific countries, we will also share some of the experiences we have had, including where problems have arisen and how these have been ...
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Short-term travel, long-term consequences

By Robyn Shutak posted 03-08-2016
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Getting a handle on tax and payroll requirements for business travelers with equity awards... By now, most companies are making an effort to tackle the complexities of tax and payroll compliance for cross-border employees with equity awards, and rightfully so, since internationally mobile employees have been the focus of tax enforcement initiatives in many countries. In doing so, companies have typically limited their focus to those employees who are formal assignees or permanent transfers. Often these employees are already part of formal mobility programs so companies may already have mechanisms in place for tracking demographic and location data for such ...
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Key International Updates: The 411 on the Tax and Legal Changes You Need to Know Now for Global Equity Grants

By Robyn Shutak posted 03-01-2016
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Tax and legal changes present challenges as well as planning opportunities for global equity plan sponsors. What worked well for companies' 2015 equity grants and ESPP offerings will not necessarily be optimal in 2016 or beyond. Further, compliance requirements in some countries have recently changed (or are about to do so). Some changes facilitate issuers' ability to offer equity awards and ESPP plans, while other changes add to the existing compliance burden. For example, on the positive side, cash-settled options and ESPP plans are once again permissible in Argentina due to the relaxation of exchange control laws that went into effect several years ...
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Final SEC Pay Ratio Rules – A Recipe for Compliance

By Robyn Shutak posted 02-23-2016
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On August 5, 2015, by a tight 3 to 2 vote, the commissioners of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved the release of final rules regarding the “CEO pay ratio” test mandated under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Under “Dodd Frank”, companies are required to disclose the median "total compensation" (as defined under proxy reporting rules) of all employees, the total compensation of the CEO, and the ratio of the first to the second. Commencing in early 2018, public companies will have to disclose (i) the CEO's total annual compensation, (ii) the total annual compensation of the “median employee” (other than the ...
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