While rising stock values are generally seen as positive, companies that have high stock prices and offer broad equity to their employees may face certain challenges. One such challenge arises during sell-to-cover tax withholding at vesting events, where participants are typically required to sell a whole share on the market to generate cash for tax payment, with the remaining amount being paid to the employee. However, many employees would prefer to keep the remaining value in company shares instead of receiving cash for the difference.

Hear experts from Amazon, Microsoft, and Moss Adams share their insights and describe the journey towards implementing a fractional share at vest offering. Their innovative approaches allow participants to sell only a portion of a share to cover their tax obligations at vesting, enabling employees to retain a higher ownership stake in the company. This strategic shift offers numerous advantages to employees, empowering them to benefit from increased company ownership while effectively managing their tax liabilities.

Attendees will learn:

• The rationale for allowing Fractional Shares at vesting
• The journey to implementing Fractional Shares at vesting
• Lessons learned and initial perspectives on the implementation process

This illuminating session will shine a spotlight and explore the role of equity in the GEIS 2023 survey’s key emerging topics: Equity in Talent, Investor Relations, and Global Mobility.

The expert panel will dive deep into these special focus areas, gaining valuable insights and practical strategies to explore how equity can be a powerful tool in shaping successful organizations in an increasingly competitive and globalized world.

Attendees will learn:

• Talent and Markets: Explore talent war and market volatility's impact on equity compensation for attracting and retaining top talent
• Investor Relations: Discover the role of equity compensation in transparent communication and enhancing company performance
• Equity and Global Mobility: Navigate complexities in cross-border talent attraction through equity compensation

Gen Z accounts for approximately 61 million people in the US entering the workforce. This segment of the workforce has lived a much different life than their parents and other millennials. Companies looking to recruit, engage, and retain must adjust their tactics. In a post-COVID environment, Gen Z is facing rising costs of living, stagnant incomes, and a mountain of student loan debt causing financial stress. To meet the demands of Gen Z workplace demands, companies must understand their top concerns and address them accordingly. Priorities include a good work-life balance, opportunities for learning and development, focus on diversity and promote from within, meaningful work, and a commitment to fair compensation.

Equity is a critical component of the employee journey and experience. However, ensuring its relevance with your workforce and driving desired outcomes requires a thoughtful approach. The expert panel will delve into the evolving expectations of employees, understanding how equity fits seamlessly within the broader reward and compensation package. Explore the goals and impacts of various equity programs and gain insights into the crucial role of communication, engagement, and education throughout the employee journey. Join the session to uncover strategies that align equity practices effectively and optimize their impact on employee satisfaction and organizational success.

Attendees will learn:

• How to integrate equity holistically within the overall reward and compensation package and in line with employee expectations in relation to equity
• The Goals, impacts, and considerations for different types of equity programs
• The importance of communication, engagement, and education in the employee journey.

Discover the challenges and solutions associated with the exponential growth of cross-border employees in the mobile equity landscape. Understand your company's mobile equity risk exposure and address the key concerns impacting your mobile equity program.

Join our expert panel as they share real-life case studies, providing actionable insights to tailor your mobile equity program and mitigate risks effectively.

Don't miss this session to gain valuable tools, identify critical risks, and develop a comprehensive plan to address mobile equity risks within your organization.

Attendees will learn:

• How to assess mobile equity risk and gain tools to create a self-assessment score for your company's mobile equity risk profile
• Uncover potential pitfalls, areas of vulnerability and explore key strategies to identify the most significant risks within your mobile equity program
• Discover a step-by-step process for mitigating and eliminating identified risks as well as effective solutions to safeguard your compensation team, company, and employees

Join this insightful session that delves into the world of broad-based employee equity plans. Through engaging discussions, the expert panel will explore different types of equity plans, and examine other prevalent equity arrangements employed by global companies. In addition to comprehending the inner workings of these plans, the panel will assess participation levels, examine the effects on both employees and employers, and uncover the latest research findings on broad-based employee equity plans.

Attendees will learn:

• About the Exploration of diverse broad-based employee equity plans
• Insights from two North American global companies with distinct ESPPs
• The details of commonly utilized broad-based equity arrangements by global companies

This session will focus on the challenges faced by listed companies when competing for and negotiating board talent in a global market. As businesses aim to attract and retain leaders who can drive success in a rapidly shifting external landscape, the session will provide insights into the specific challenges encountered in the global market.

Attendees will learn:

• Best practices from a CEO's perspective in attracting and retaining leaders
• Equity's role in negotiating during the hiring process, executive compensation, and senior leader retention
• Investors' expectations of executive compensation and talent

Public event readiness focuses on the actions leading up to the ‘Big Day’. But what happens after that day comes and goes?

This session provides advice on how to avoid an IPO hangover. The panel of experts will cover the items that tend to get lost in the shuffle or deferred in the frantic run up to the public event.

Attendees will learn:

• The key milestones and steps you can take now to guarantee a pain free transaction
• Which administrative tasks, controls and communications are essential to succeed
• How to identify the key stakeholders and how best to communicate with them

In late Q3 2022, the SEC issued the final rules on Pay for Performance. As expected, there were some significant new reporting requirements for the CEO and the Named Executive Officers, particularly around employee equity compensation.

Join this dynamic panel whose expertise and experience will help you feel the changes are as easy as 1-2-3!

Designing the ‘right’ equity plan design that works across different geographies can be challenging. What prospective employees expect, and what investors want, can be driven by local norms. How do global companies keep everyone happy whilst doing what’s right for the company and its strategy?

This session will look at current and emerging trends in executive equity incentives in the UK and US to highlight where there’s common ground, and where practice is diverging. The expert panel includes issuers who will give their front-line perspective on designing and selling plans to both UK and US employee audiences and discuss whether one-size-fits-all designs work, and the influence culture has on plan design.

• Discover how cultural perspectives on pay inform plan design in your country
• Find out how to reconcile pay-for-performance with caps on pay
• Learn whether the challenging economic environment and spiralling cost of living will lead to changes in plan design