GEO VIRTUAL 2023 - SESSIONS
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ABOUT GEO VIRTUAL
SESSIONS

A FIRST-CLASS VIRTUAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Billy Billingham
BILLY BILLINGHAM MBE

Decorated Military Leader. Bodyguard. Best-Selling Author. TV Personality. Speaker.

There is not much Billy Billingham MBE QCB can't do!

With more than 20 years of military leadership, including executing strategic operations in places including Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, and Africa, Billy has experienced what it takes to be mentally tough.

As a result of his bravery, he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery and MBE by Queen Elizabeth II.

Join Billy as he brings his experiences to GEO's audience to educate and enthral those seeking how to combat challenges and hardships the SAS way!

INSIGHTFUL AND INSPIRING BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Access on-demand recordings.of the event's 20 live sessions that span six subject tracks and 30 'Best of Edinburgh' highest-rated sessions from GEO's 24th Annual Conference.

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Wednesday, 22 Apr 2026, 12:00 - 12:50
Communications
Employee engagement
4.4 Can AI do it? Participant Education on a Budget

Jay Christiansen, Block (US)
Andrew Barrus, Procore (US)
Mike McComas, Morgan Stanley at Work (US)
Steve Campbell, PayPal (US)

Global
BREAKOUT IV

Even in a world of constant communication, participants often struggle to find trusted and accessible information about their equity. This session explores how leading companies like Block, PayPal, and Procore are rethinking participant education to meet evolving employee needs. Using AI, smart design, and scalable strategies, these organizations are creating engaging, intuitive, and impactful equity education programs.

Attendees will walk away with practical ideas for designing or revamping their own programs, regardless of budget or team size, and actionable insights to improve participant understanding, engagement, and confidence.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

  • Learn how leading companies are using AI, design thinking, and technology to enhance equity communication.
  • Discover methods to deliver effective equity education regardless of budget, team size, or geographic reach.
  • Gain actionable ideas for creating programs that increase participant comprehension, confidence, and satisfaction.
LOCATION:
JW Grand Salon 4
CPA CREDIT:
Field of Study:
Information Technology
Level:
O
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Wednesday, 22 Apr 2026, 12:00 - 12:50
Design and strategy
Employee engagement
4.5 Leaders Lounge: Equity Planning in a Volatile World

Mitan Patel, FGE, Fidelity (UK)
Sean Trotman, FGE, Deloitte  (US)
Jennifer Thomas, FGE, ServiceNow  (US)
Eaton Williamson, Seagate Technologies (US) 

Global
BREAKOUT IV

In today’s fast-changing global landscape, equity planning is more complex than ever. This panel brings together senior leaders from multiple regions to discuss how they approach strategic equity planning in the face of uncertainty—regulatory shifts, workforce mobility, and market volatility. Through real-world scenarios, the panelists will share their approaches to balancing risk, innovation, and long-term talent alignment.

The session will simulate a “war room” environment: the moderator presents challenging scenarios, and panelists debate strategic responses while sharing lessons learned. Fellows in the audience will have the opportunity to weigh in and discuss how they might approach each situation.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

  • How to design flexible equity programs that can adapt to regulatory, economic, and political changes.
  • Strategic approaches to keep key talent engaged in volatile markets.
  • Panelists analyze hypothetical equity challenges—e.g., sudden cross-border regulatory change, a major M&A, or market disruption.
LOCATION:
JW Grand Salon 5
CPA CREDIT:
Field of Study:
Specialized Knowledge
Level:
O
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Wednesday, 22 Apr 2026, 12:00 - 12:50
Data and business intelligence
Design and strategy
4.6 The EO Index: Driving Shareholder Value and Employee Wealth

Stan Feldman, Work to Own (US)
Lennart Wenzel, University of Göttingen (DE)
Jonathan Wachtel, Work to Own (US)

Global
BREAKOUT IV

Broad-based employee ownership (BBEO) isn’t just good for employees—it drives real shareholder value. Work to Own is pioneering the Employee Ownership (EO) Index, using AI to measure and optimize BBEO across 1,500 U.S. public companies. This session explores how data-driven insights link employee ownership to firm performance and provide companies with actionable strategies to scale equity ownership effectively.

Join the experts to learn how AI overcomes data gaps, discover research-backed connections between BBEO and shareholder returns, and see how a quantitative model can help companies design equity programs that boost engagement, retention, and long-term growth.
KEY LEARNING POINTS:

  • Learn how AI and analytics create a data-driven standard for employee ownership.
  • See research showing companies with higher BBEO outperform peers.
  • Use the EO Index and models to design and communicate programs that benefit employees and shareholders alike.
LOCATION:
401
CPA CREDIT:
Field of Study:
Specialized Knowledge
Level:
I
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Thursday, 17 Sep 2026, 14:40 - 15:30
4.1 Navigating Equity Compensation During Corporate Transactions

Julie Coulter, UBS
Patrick Gabel, KPMG

Employee stock purchase plans (ESPP)
Executive plans
Stock options
USA
BREAKOUT IV

Mergers and acquisitions create significant challenges for equity compensation programs, requiring careful coordination across HR, payroll, legal, finance, and stock plan administration. This session explores practical strategies for managing equity awards throughout the M&A lifecycle, including due diligence, award treatment, payroll and tax considerations, compliance, and participant communications. Attendees will gain actionable insights and best practices to help support a smooth and successful transaction.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

  • Identify key planning and due diligence activities for assessing equity compensation programs during a merger or acquisition.
  • Evaluate approaches for treating outstanding equity awards, including cash-outs, substitutions, rollovers, and vesting acceleration.
  • Describe strategies for addressing payroll, tax, compliance, and participant communication requirements during an M&A transaction.


 

LOCATION:
Room A
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Thursday, 17 Sep 2026, 14:40 - 15:30
4.2 Why Equity Data Integrity Matters to the Board

Marc Tipton, Stock & Option Solutions by Allshares
Jacqueline Read, Stock & Option Solutions by Allshares
Oscar Contreras, Lucid Motors



 

All plan types
USA
BREAKOUT IV

Reliable equity compensation data underpins effective governance, financial reporting, and board confidence. This session explores how organizations strengthen data quality, internal controls, and audit readiness to reduce operational risk and position equity administration as a trusted governance function.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

  • Identify common sources of data quality and control risk within equity compensation administration.
  • Assess governance and internal control practices that improve audit readiness and reporting accuracy.
  • Evaluate approaches for strengthening board confidence through effective equity data management and oversight.
LOCATION:
Training Room 1
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Thursday, 17 Sep 2026, 14:40 - 15:30
4.3 Executive Trading Readiness

Erika Rivera, Morgan Stanley at Work
Carly Griffin, Morgan Stanely at Work
Dave Reider, CoreWeave

All plan types
USA
BREAKOUT IV

Managing executive equity transactions requires careful planning, regulatory compliance, and effective risk management throughout the corporate lifecycle. This session examines current market practices, SEC requirements, liquidity planning strategies, and reporting obligations to help organizations support executives before and after public company events.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

  • Identify regulatory requirements governing executive share transactions, including Rule 144 and Rule 10b5-1 trading plans.
  • Evaluate liquidity planning strategies that address executive stock concentration and financial planning considerations.
  • Describe reporting obligations and governance practices that support compliant executive trading activities.
LOCATION:
Training Room 2
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Thursday, 12 Nov 2026, 14:10 - 15:10
4.1 Turning the Tables on Executive LTIs

Matthieu Sabonnadiere, Banque Transatlantique 
Olivier Dufor, Page Executive 

Executive plans
Performance shares
Restricted shares
Stock options
Austria
Denmark
European Union
Finland
France
Germany
Netherlands
Norway
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
UK and Channel Islands
BREAKOUT IV

Companies invest significant resources in designing and communicating long-term incentive plans, but executives may experience those plans very differently from how employers expect. This session examines LTIs from the executive perspective, exploring communication effectiveness, behavioural biases, wealth management needs, and the considerations facing EU-based executives whose LTI assets are held in the United States.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

  • Identify behavioural and communication factors that influence how executives perceive LTIs.
  • Describe key wealth management considerations associated with executive LTI awards.
  • Assess considerations for EU-based executives holding LTI assets in the United States.
LOCATION:
Monument
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Thursday, 12 Nov 2026, 14:10 - 15:10
4.2 Cash or Equity? Rethinking Employee Rewards

Lumilla Maurer, Baker McKenzie
Marlon Nogueira, J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions
Alvaro Pinilla Sanz, Delivery Hero
Andreas Oosthuizen, Delivery Hero
Barbara Klementz, Baker McKenzie 

Employee stock purchase plans (ESPP)
Restricted shares
Stock appreciation rights (SAR)
Stock options
Global
BREAKOUT IV

As organizations compete for talent, the balance between immediate cash rewards and longer-term equity incentives is increasingly important. Drawing on corporate, legal, and market perspectives, this session examines the relative advantages and challenges of cash and equity, what employees value, and how share ownership, communication, and education can influence engagement, retention, and ownership culture.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

  • Differentiate between the benefits and challenges of cash and equity-based employee rewards.
  • Assess how equity compensation can influence employee engagement, retention, and ownership.
  • Evaluate communication and education approaches that support an effective employee ownership culture.
LOCATION:
Fenchurch
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Thursday, 12 Nov 2026, 14:10 - 15:10
4.3 Equal Pay Meets Equity

Gordon Roesch, EY
Wolfgang Hardt, EY
Issuer TBC

Cash deferral
Choice plans
Discount shares
Employee stock purchase plans (ESPP)
Equity deferral
Executive plans
Performance cash
Performance shares
Restricted shares
Stock appreciation rights (SAR)
Stock options
Global
BREAKOUT IV

The EU Pay Transparency Directive raises important questions for share-based compensation, including how equity awards fall within the definition of pay and where equal pay risks can emerge throughout the award lifecycle. This session examines eligibility, allocation, performance conditions, vesting and settlement, alongside the potential effects of part-time work, parental and care-related leave, and subjective performance measures. It also explores the complex question of how equity value should be measured and reported.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

  • Identify where equal pay risks can arise across the equity award lifecycle under the EU Pay Transparency Directive.
  • Assess how performance conditions, working patterns, and leave arrangements can affect equity-related pay outcomes.
  • Evaluate approaches to valuing and reporting equity compensation for pay transparency purposes.
LOCATION:
Lombard
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