GEO AWARD WINNERS

T. Rowe Price has introduced a highly innovative approach to long-term incentives, rethinking how employees connect to both company performance and the success of its products.

At the heart of the design is the introduction of Restricted Fund Units (RFUs)—a new award type that allows employees to link part of their long-term incentives to the performance of the firm’s own mutual funds. Through a flexible Equity Choice model, participants can elect to receive either 100% traditional equity or a 50/50 mix of company shares and RFUs, with the ability to select funds that align with their personal financial goals.

This approach represents a significant departure from traditional equity design, aligning employees not only with shareholder value but also with the products they help create, manage, and deliver.

The programme was implemented globally within existing plan parameters, carefully navigating complex tax, legal, and regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. Thoughtful design ensured global consistency while incorporating necessary local carve-outs to maintain compliance and avoid unintended tax consequences.

Strong early engagement highlights the success of the design, with 70% of participants electing the blended award model, demonstrating clear understanding and appreciation of the programme’s value.

By combining innovation, flexibility, and practical execution, T. Rowe Price has delivered a forward-thinking plan that enhances employee engagement, supports financial wellbeing, and sets a new benchmark for equity design within the asset management industry.

. Rowe Price has introduced a highly innovative approach to long-term incentives, rethinking how employees connect to both company performance and the success of its products.

At the heart of the design is the introduction of Restricted Fund Units (RFUs)—a new award type that allows employees to link part of their long-term incentives to the performance of the firm’s own mutual funds. Through a flexible Equity Choice model, participants can elect to receive either 100% traditional equity or a 50/50 mix of company shares and RFUs, with the ability to select funds that align with their personal financial goals.

This approach represents a significant departure from traditional equity design, aligning employees not only with shareholder value but also with the products they help create, manage, and deliver.

The programme was implemented globally within existing plan parameters, carefully navigating complex tax, legal, and regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. Thoughtful design ensured global consistency while incorporating necessary local carve-outs to maintain compliance and avoid unintended tax consequences.

Strong early engagement highlights the success of the design, with 70% of participants electing the blended award model, demonstrating clear understanding and appreciation of the programme’s value.

By combining innovation, flexibility, and practical execution, T. Rowe Price has delivered a forward-thinking plan that enhances employee engagement, supports financial wellbeing, and sets a new benchmark for equity design within the asset management industry.

. Rowe Price has introduced a highly innovative approach to long-term incentives, rethinking how employees connect to both company performance and the success of its products.

At the heart of the design is the introduction of Restricted Fund Units (RFUs)—a new award type that allows employees to link part of their long-term incentives to the performance of the firm’s own mutual funds. Through a flexible Equity Choice model, participants can elect to receive either 100% traditional equity or a 50/50 mix of company shares and RFUs, with the ability to select funds that align with their personal financial goals.

This approach represents a significant departure from traditional equity design, aligning employees not only with shareholder value but also with the products they help create, manage, and deliver.

The programme was implemented globally within existing plan parameters, carefully navigating complex tax, legal, and regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. Thoughtful design ensured global consistency while incorporating necessary local carve-outs to maintain compliance and avoid unintended tax consequences.

Strong early engagement highlights the success of the design, with 70% of participants electing the blended award model, demonstrating clear understanding and appreciation of the programme’s value.

By combining innovation, flexibility, and practical execution, T. Rowe Price has delivered a forward-thinking plan that enhances employee engagement, supports financial wellbeing, and sets a new benchmark for equity design within the asset management industry.

Amazon is recognised for redefining what’s possible in one of the most complex areas of global equity compensation—delivering a breakthrough solution for share retention in Vietnam.

In a market long considered one of the most challenging for equity plans, Amazon enhanced its in-house Equity Management System (EMS) to enable employees to retain shares post-vesting—removing the long-standing requirement for forced sale at vest.

This innovation required navigating Vietnam’s highly complex regulatory environment, including taxation at point of sale, strict foreign exchange controls, and multi-entity employee structures. Rather than relying on manual workarounds, Amazon built a scalable, automated solution capable of handling sophisticated income and tax calculations—applying accurate fair market values, exchange rates, and cost bases across multiple tax treatments.

The result is a seamless, compliant system that integrates across payroll, accounting, and treasury workflows—maintaining operational consistency while unlocking entirely new capabilities.

Most importantly, the impact is deeply employee-centric. Employees in Vietnam now have true ownership—able to decide when to sell their shares and benefit from long-term value creation. At the same time, the solution enhances Amazon’s ability to attract and retain talent in a highly competitive market, while maintaining efficiency at scale across a global workforce of more than 400,000 employees.

This initiative transforms a long-standing industry challenge into a repeatable model for future expansion—demonstrating how thoughtful plan design, powered by technology, can turn regulatory complexity into competitive advantage.