In an increasingly interconnected world, global events continue to shape the UK’s economic landscape. Since the recent US presidential election, market fluctuations have highlighted the ripple effects of policy decisions and macroeconomic changes. In this engaging session, Nataliia Lipikhina, Head of EMEA Strategy at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, will provide an update on the macroeconomic environment, examine sector dynamics and emerging themes, and explore how these factors are influencing equity markets and other asset classes. Attendees will leave with practical guidance for navigating uncertainty, protecting share plans from market impacts, and addressing employee concerns in volatile times.

KEY LEARNINGS:

• Insights into current macroeconomic trends and sector-specific dynamics affecting equity markets. 
• Strategies to insulate share plans from adverse market and economic impacts. 
• Techniques for effectively communicating with employees about uncertainty and financial volatility.

Monzo’s recent secondary transaction gave employees the opportunity to cash in a portion of their share options without waiting for a traditional liquidity event such as an IPO or sale. This session will unpack the strategic motivations behind the initiative—boosting morale, retention, and the perceived value of equity—while also exploring the significant execution challenges. 

From navigating complex tax implications across jurisdictions to addressing legal requirements, managing accounting standards, and designing transparent employee communications, the project required extensive collaboration. Attendees will hear how Monzo’s reward, tax, finance, and HR teams partnered with external advisors to deliver innovative solutions, offering a powerful case study in both employee incentive strategy and cross-functional teamwork.

KEY LEARNINGS:

• Why secondary transactions can enhance employee morale, retention, and engagement with equity. 
• Practical lessons from managing tax, legal, accounting, and communication challenges in a complex transaction. 
• How cross-functional collaboration is essential to the success of innovative incentive strategies.

Since the first share plan launched by the Illinois Central Railroad in 1857, employee ownership has evolved into a global practice shaping millions of lives and organizations. While legislation and tax rules have long influenced plan design, today’s greatest challenge lies in adapting share plans to a workforce that now spans five generations. Each generation brings distinct expectations, values, and relationships with work—yet plan design has often lagged behind this reality. 

This interactive session will revisit the fundamentals of share plans and explore how organizations can redesign them for maximum performance, engagement, and relevance. Together, we’ll examine generational traits, competing priorities between tax efficiency and employee expectations, and the evolving principles that investors seek in modern plan design.

KEY LEARNINGS:

• How generational differences shape employee engagement with share plans and what this means for effective plan design. 
• Balancing legislative/tax efficiency with employee expectations to achieve both compliance and impact. 
• Practical strategies for rethinking share plans to meet today’s diverse workforce and anticipate future trends.

In today’s uncertain markets—shaped by economic volatility, regulatory shifts, and geopolitical risk—running a successful share plan is more challenging than ever. Yet the most resilient plans don’t just survive; they thrive thanks to seamless coordination among key stakeholders. This session will explore the critical roles that keep equity plans functioning smoothly: the issuer, legal advisor, offshore trustee, administrator, and broker. 

We’ll examine how these roles collaborate to navigate risk, maintain compliance, build participant trust, and avoid disruption—even in volatile markets or changing governance environments. Attendees will also learn what happens when one part of the chain fails and how strong collaboration mitigates that risk, providing practical insights for issuers, advisors, and service providers aiming to build operational resilience.

KEY LEARNINGS:

• How issuers, legal advisors, trustees, administrators, and brokers collaborate to ensure smooth equity plan operations. 
• Strategies for managing risk, avoiding disruption, and maintaining participant trust in volatile or uncertain conditions. 
• Lessons from failures and breakdowns in the process, and how strong cross-functional coordination can mitigate these risks.