It has been a big year for employee incentives in Australia.

A new regulatory regime came into effect in October 2022, and this has brought about a tectonic shift in the regulatory plumbing that underpins the operation of employee incentive schemes.

The stated aim of the regulatory reforms was to demonstrate the commitment of Australia’s (former) Federal Government to “reducing red tape for business, supporting job creation and competitive remuneration, and incentivising employers and employees to work together to contribute to a strong and sustained post COVID-19 economic recovery.”

Following the passing of these reforms, all companies that operate plans in Australia, whether listed or unlisted, large or small, need to pause to consider how the new regulatory rules will impact on the operation of their ESS plans.

There have also been a few contentious rules that may encourage issuer companies to alter their plan design.

Attendees will learn:

• The anticipated effects of the new regime on plan design.
• Which key issues need to be front of mind when a company operates an employee incentive plan in Australia, including those that relate to directors' personal liability.
• A broad overview of the regulatory framework that underpins employee incentive schemes in Australia.

Corporate transactions can have knock-on effects for outstanding equity awards and plans.

This session explores best practice on the approach and communication of these changes to awards, including the administrative and timing challenges encountered when reflecting award adjustments on broker platforms.

The expert panel will discuss their experiences, including managing awards during the re-domiciliation from a UK to a US parent company, and the equity award challenges resulting from a $11.7 billion acquisition.

Attendees will learn:

• The common pitfalls when adjusting awards post-transaction including which transactional adjustments can trigger tax and regulatory issues for issues that have granted in multiple countries
• How to provide accurate, bespoke, meaningful and concise communication of the changes to participants
• How to prepare equity award databases to reflect adjusted awards, dealing with rounding and black-out periods

The SER has announced that the final rule changes to 10b5-1 will be released this April. Don’t let this long-awaited, and long-anticipated, rule change catch you, and your company’s employees, unaware.

Join this session for a timely and thought-provoking discussion that will prepare you for the changes.

• Hear details of the proposed amendments from the experts
• Understand how the changes might affect your company and executives
• Come away with the knowledge and tools to take action

Who doesn’t love freedom of choice! As employee needs become more diverse and individualized than ever, flexibility in reward and benefits packages is increasingly important.

Introducing equity choice plans is a way to empower employees to tailor and maximize the impact of their equity awards.

This panel will discuss the effective use of these plans that offer employees the opportunity to choose the types of equity awards that make up their total compensation package.

• Discover which equity awards are commonly included in choice plans
• Hear from organizations who are leading the way
• Learn about the pros, cons, and considerations of choice awards

How does executive equity compensation differ in public and private companies?

Leveraging the experience of equity professionals who have worked in both the public and private sector, this session will examine the role of equity compensation across various industries and life-stages.

The panel includes a workplace equity consultancy who will share observations around how equity plays a role in creating pay "equity" in an organization.

• Find out how executive equity compensation differs in private and public companies
• Learn how to leverage data and analytics to achieve workplace pay equity
• Discover how to integrate data with market practice when developing equity strategy

Post-Covid, the business landscape in China is growing quickly and driving opportunities for growth and expansion. To operate successful share plans that are competitive and relevant, it is critical to understand the cultural history, stakeholder impacts and evolving regulatory landscape of employee ownership in the region.

This session details how China’s employee ownership culture has altered since the pandemic and what businesses must do to operate plans compliantly and efficiently.

• Uncover the latest developments in government policy as it navigates continued globalization
• Discover how Chinese policy makers are focusing on employee ownership, equity compensation and technology enterprises
• Learn from Lucid Motors’ experience of establishing stock plans in China as a cornerstone for expansion

While fairness has received a great deal of media attention, especially in connection with bonus payments, employees are increasingly questioning the allocation of long-term compensation. Valuable insights from the latest research in academia can be well applied to prevent unhealthy discussions of right and wrong in the office.

This session will dig deep into the concept of fairness and explore individual perception of compensation and more. The expert panel will highlight the specific implications for companies and the measures that can be taken for ensuring fair LTI allocations whilst giving a sneak peek into rigorous academic research.

• Discover what academia tells us about equity allocations: are they actually fair?
• Hear from Siemens Energy and hkp/// on how academic methods and practical tools can be applied in industry
• Explore the education and communication measures that contribute to ensuring fairness