As global stock plan administration grows more complex, advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are becoming essential tools for enhancing efficiency, reducing errors, and maintaining compliance. This session will delve into practical applications of AI-driven tools and automation, focusing on real-world experiences from leading issuers.

Attendees will gain actionable insights into streamlining stock plan administration, improving both corporate and employee experiences, and preparing their operations for the future.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Collaborate with peers to uncover practical strategies for leveraging AI and automation to simplify stock plan administration.
• Exchange ideas on how to effectively integrate automation tools into existing frameworks and address potential challenges.
• Discuss emerging trends in AI and automation and brainstorm innovative ways to prepare for the future of stock plan management.

As remote and location-independent work continues to rise, managing tax and social security implications for employees working in different countries presents unique challenges for both employers and employees.

This session will explore how location-independent workers impact the tax and social security sourcing for equity-based compensation and how companies can navigate these complexities.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Understand the tax and social security challenges faced by location-independent workers and how they affect equity compensation.
• Learn about the impact of vesting periods on tax sourcing and the administrative burdens for both issuers and employees.
• Explore the solutions companies are implementing in response to these challenges within the EU and OECD framework.

As Boards of Directors strive to refine the goal-setting process for short-term and long-term incentive programs, many are turning to advanced financial modeling techniques like Monte Carlo simulation.

In this session, explore how heightened macroeconomic volatility over the past five years has reshaped goal-setting practices and delve into the processes companies use to set and communicate performance goals effectively.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Understand how recent economic instability has influenced goal-setting methodologies for incentive programs.
• Discover best practices for setting and communicating performance goals in alignment with organizational objectives.
• Learn how Monte Carlo simulations can provide actionable data for evaluating performance metrics and optimizing incentive payouts.

This session is designed to introduce stock plan administrators to the key principles of share-based compensation accounting, equipping them with the foundational knowledge necessary to support financial reporting teams and ensure compliance with IFRS 2 and ASC 718.

While deep accounting expertise isn't required, understanding the intersection between stock plan administration and financial reporting will enable smoother collaboration and more efficient processes.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Learn how stock plan data feeds into financial reporting and why its accuracy is essential for compliance with accounting standards.
• Gain insight into grant date fair value, valuation models, amortization methods (graded vs. straight-line), and how they impact financial statements.
• Explore how performance awards, forfeiture rates, and termination processing affect both stock plan administration and financial reporting, and understand the differences between IFRS 2 and ASC 718.

Long-term incentive (LTI) design is becoming increasingly complex as organizations face shifting macroeconomic conditions. Companies are tasked with incorporating ESG metrics, managing relative performance awards, and setting meaningful goals amidst market volatility.

This session will explore the latest trends in LTI vehicles, metrics, and structures, offering actionable strategies for adapting LTI plans to meet current and future challenges.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Explore recent trends in LTI design, with a focus on the growing importance of ESG metrics and relative performance awards.
• Learn effective strategies for setting performance goals in an unpredictable economic environment.
• Understand how emerging trends are shaping the structure and impact of long-term incentive plans.

Operating a global equity plan in a way that meets the company's incentive and retention goals while complying with a myriad of laws can be challenging, especially when factoring in employment law considerations on a global basis.

This session explores how companies can effectively manage these challenges, both from a legal perspective and in practice, focusing on the latest developments and best practices globally related to termination of employment and retirement, leave of absence, restrictive covenants, clawback enforceability and more.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Learn best practices for managing equity awards during voluntary and involuntary terminations, ensuring compliance and retention goals are met.
• Understand how different types of leave—such as maternity, medical, or military—affect equity compensation and how to adapt plans accordingly.
• Explore strategies for implementing enforceable clawback policies and effectively navigating non-compete and non-solicitation agreements in a global context.

Join senior experts from all the Big 4 accounting firms for an interactive roundtable on managing tax compliance for global equity plans. In this session, speakers, moderators, and participants will explore key considerations in tax mobility, the essential elements of a well-administered global plan, and the challenges faced when managing equity compensation for a mobile workforce.

Attendees will gain practical strategies to enhance their international tax processes and ensure compliance with equity administration responsibilities.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Best practices for tax compliance in global equity plans.
• Lessons learned from managing tax compliance across borders.
• Emerging market trends and future expectations in equity compensation.

Stock-based compensation is a powerful tool for attracting and retaining top talent, but are we truly measuring its return on investment through the lens of key talent objectives?

In this first-of-its-kind survey, Deloitte surveyed nearly 1,750 early-career and diverse employees to uncover the personal narratives and demographic identities influencing their participation in these programs. The findings highlight the critical need for employers to align their stock-based compensation offerings with their talent goals and to approach program design with flexibility, acknowledging the diverse backgrounds of early-career and underrepresented employees.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Learn how early-career and diverse employees view stock-based compensation and how these perspectives shape participation.
• Gain actionable insights on how Dell is aligning its compensation programs with specific talent objectives to maximize impact.
• Walk away with practical takeaways on how to adjust your stock-based compensation programs to better meet the needs of your workforce.

Equity awards come with great responsibility—tax obligations, broker account management, and financial health considerations. This interactive session will explore how to design a comprehensive education program that empowers employees to fully understand and appreciate their stock compensation. Learn how a multi-layered approach can enhance engagement with equity awards and foster greater financial wellness across your workforce.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Strategies for developing a multi-layered education program on equity awards.
• How to boost employee appreciation of stock compensation and its long-term benefits.
• Best practices for promoting financial wellness alongside equity plan education.

In this session, the panel will explore the key restrictions impacting equity compensation today, from 'soft' restrictions such as shareholder approval ('say on pay') and progressive tax rates, to reputational risks, disclosure requirements, and litigation (including high-profile cases like the Elon Musk case).

This session will also address how these constraints influence equity plan structuring, and delve into the "hard" restrictions that companies face, especially in today’s evolving political environment.

KEY LEARNING POINTS:

• Understand the impact of shareholder approval, 'say on pay', and progressive tax rates on equity compensation decisions.
• Explore the risks around disclosure, reputational challenges, and litigation, including implications from high-profile cases.
• Debate the effects of the current political climate on both 'hard' and 'soft' restrictions in equity plan structuring.