"Making your RFP work for you"
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Independent Stock Plan Advisors, LLC
Duxbury, MA 02332
2012 Speaking Engagements:
We presented at the following events during 2012:
- Global Equity Organization Annual conference in Washington DC (April 2012)
- E*TRADE Directions Conference in Las Vegas, NV (May 2012)
- NASPP North Carolina Chapter Meeting in Raleigh, NC (June 2012)
- NASPP Ohio Chapter Meeting in Richfield, NC (June 2012)
- NASPP Boston/Connecticut One Day Event in Boston, MA (July 2012)
- NASPP San Francisco Chapter Annual All Day Education Symposium in Livermore, CA (September 2012)
- National Equity Compensation Forum in Racho Palos Verdes, CA (September 2012)
2011Speaking Engagements:
We presented at the following events during 2011:
- National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA (November 1 - 4, 2011)
- National Equity Compensation Forum (NECF) in Scottsdale, AZ (September 14 -16, 2011)
- NASPP Silicon Valley All Day Meeting in Santa Clara, CA (June 23, 2011)
- Global Equity Organization 2011 Annual Conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands (June 15 - 17, 2011)
- Global Equity Organization 2011 California Forum in San Carlos, CA (May 12, 2011).
- E*TRADE 2011 Directions Conference in Miami Beach, FL (April 26 - 29, 2011)
Past presentations by ISP Advisros:
"Surviving Global Administration Challenges"
National Equity Compensation Forum
September 19 - 21, 2012 | Racho Palos Verdes, CA
This session will deliver practical tips on what your company needs to consider to effectively administer and manager equity awards in multiple countries. Focusing on global hotspots that seem to always present challenges, these experienced panelists will highlight the current administrative challenges that impact how certain awards need to be administered in countries like Belgium, France, China, and the UK. With employee satisfaction and retention as a primary driver for many corporations, attendees will also learn about effective communication tools and self-service features that are available to global participants so they understand what it is, why it's valuable, and how best to use it.
- Rachel Meyers, E*TRADE Financial Corporate Services
- Sarah Papagelis, Sapient
- Jewon Wee, ISP Advisors
- Jacobin Zorin, Verigy
Recent presentations by ISP Advisors:
"Qualified or Not Qualified: Which ESPP is right for your company?"
NASPP Boston/Connecticut One Day Regional Conference
July 2012 | Boston, MA
Click here for a copy of this presentation.
"ESPP: practical tips for design and implementation in the U.S. and around the world"
NASPP North Carolina Chapter Meeting
June 2012 | Raleigh, NC
Click here for a copy of this presentation.
"Considerations for Managing & Communicating a Global ESPP"
NASPP Ohio Chapter Meeting
June 2012 | Richfield, OH
"ESPP Evolution: Boston Scientific Case Study"
Global Equity Organization Annual Conference
April 2012 | Washington, DC
Participants who attend this session will learn about a global stock purchase program that broke from what is traditional in most companies. While many US-based multinationals export US-style employee stock purchase plan to their non-US employees with little modification, Boston Scientific and Caterpillar have both implemented globally offered employee stock purchase programs that broke from that tradition. During this session, we will explore two global ESPP case studies to understand the strategic plan design rationale, operational challenges and opportunities posed by their unique program designs.
- Melissa Callender, E*TRADE Financial Corporate Services
- Nancy Kennedy, Boston Scientific Corporation
- Jewon Wee, ISP Advisors
"After the grant: Staying compliant"
Global Equity Organization Annual Conference
April 2012 | Washington, DC
Multinational companies expend considerable time and resources ensuring their grants comply with tax, securities, foreign exchange, and other regulatory requirements around the world. Ongoing compliance and the failure to maintain compliance is often exacerbated by new hires, corporate transactions, and mobile employees. Participants attending this session will learn about country-specific compliance challenges faced by companies post grant. We will examine ongoing tax withholding and reporting, maintaining tax-favored status of plans, maintaining securities compliance, and other regulatory obligations.
- Jon Doyle, International Law Partners
- Bob Hartley, BMC Software, Inc.
- Kate Lloyd, Accenture
- Jewon Wee, ISP Advisors
"Did You Get the Memo? Moving Global Alerts Out of Your Inbox and Into Your Daily Procedures"
NASPP Annual Conference
November 2 - 4, 2011 | San Francisco, CA
How do you translate the mountain of information on changing international laws into practical procedures that promote ongoing global compliance? This session will highlight how three companies adapt to regulatory changes, including how to assess risk and compliance activity, allocate budget, balance local demands with administrative constraints, and effectively manage time. Come prepared to hear our panelists' creative solutions and share your own real-world experience. (Levels II, III, CPE Field of study — Administrative Practice)
- Veena Bhatia, Gilead Sciences
- Tracy de Swiet, ISP Advisors
- Sorrell Johnson, Avago Technologies
- Jacobin Zorin, Verigy
"The Check's in the Mail: Tracking Down Transaction Proceeds"
NASPP Annual Conference
November 2 - 4, 2011 | San Francisco, CA
This panel will take a close look at what really happens to stock plan transaction proceeds after the trade executes, particularly for non-US employees. Our expert panel will discuss best practices for distributing proceeds, including interfacing with payroll, how to avoid delays, tax withholding complexities, currency conversion, electronic funds distribution, and dealing with local restrictions. (Levels I, II, CPE Field of study — Administrative Practice)
- Rosalie Borzumato, CBS Corporation
- Nicholas Greenacre, White & Case
- Brian Penzel, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
- Jewon Wee, Independent Stock Plan Advisors
"Security Breach: Making Sure Employee Data Is Safe"
NASPP Annual Conference
November 2 - 4, 2011 | San Francisco, CA
Are you taking steps to protect employee data? Safeguarding sensitive stock plan data protects your company and your employees and is just plain good business. This session will explore critical security lessons and best practices to safeguard data, with a focus on antifraud procedures, authentication requirements, data suppression, and employee data management procedures. (Levels I, II, III, CPE Field of study — Administrative Practice)
- Jon Doyle, International Law Partners
- Craig Rubino, ETRADE Corporate Services
- Jewon Wee, Independent Stock Plan Advisors
"Section 6039 time will be here again before you know it! Are you ready for this year's challenges?"
NASPP Silicon Valley Chapter Meeting
Thursday October 13, 2011 at The Decathlon Club, 3250 Central Expressway, Santa Clara, 11:30 - 2:00 p.m.
The IRS’s intent in requiring the filing of Forms 3921/3922, was to give employee participants all the information they need for personal tax reporting relating to ISOs and Section 423 ESPPs. However, many practical questions remained unanswered by the Forms’ instructions -- leaving corporations wondering how to complete the Forms correctly and employees confused by the content:
- Why can two separate corporations/EINs be entered on Form 3921, but only one on Form 3922?
- Must the Forms be filed for plan participants who live and work in unincorporated territories of the United States?
- If the exercise and the actual transfer of the stock occur in different years, can we wait until the later year to file?
- How do we report fractional shares or prices beyond two decimal places?
- What is the “Date option granted” for our ESPP (if it provides for a 24-month look-back … if the offering period re-starts … if the plan does not specify the number of shares purchasable)?
Help prepare your company for next year’s Section 6039 filing. Join us for a discussion of some of the questions and issues that arose during the 2010 filing period. In response to these questions, we will review interpretations of the final 6039 regulations, informal discussions held with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel and IRS Form 3921/3922 specialists, and positions taken by both small and large corporations. We will also review the development of appropriate responses to employee questions regarding the Forms.
Presenters: Tracy de Swiet CEP, ISP Advisors, LLP, Jacobin Zorin CEP, Verigy, Alison E. Wright, Baker & McKenzie LLP, Lydie Kuo Dutton, Yahoo Inc.
National Equity Compensation Forum
September 14 - 16, 2011 | Scottsdale, AZ
The time has come, the time is now--you know you have to issue an RFP, but how? We all have to do it sometime, but like many major decisions, this daunting task only comes up a handful of times in an equity comp professional's career. You’ll need to gather the right input from your internal teams, such as Legal, HR, and Finance, work with Procurement, IT, and Compliance, understand needs and project requirements, develop a search strategy and execute on it, and evaluate and select providers; all while still getting your real work done!
Whether your RFP is issued to evaluate providers for routine due diligence, a planned provider change, or an equity comp "emergency," you could benefit from guidance. We are here to help! This panel will offer best practices for developing and managing your RFP process to help you steer clear of the potential pitfalls and make your RFP work for you. Hear from experts who issue and respond to RFPs and your peers in the industry who have been through the process, and use their insights and experiences to make sure your RFP will help you select the provider you need. You'll also have the opportunity participate throughout the interactive session to get solutions for your concerns in real-time.
Jewon Wee will share his expertise in vendor selection processes by sharing his perspective as a consultant who helps plan sponsors write RFP documents, manage sending RFPs out to providers, and evaluate providers based on clients’ needs. Hilary Williams, CEP will share the point of view of the person who responds to RFPs from plan sponsors and consultants, focusing discussion on how to really get the info you are looking for from the providers in your search and how to get the providers’ responses to work for you, instead of the other way around. Debbie Tsoi-A-Sue, CEP will talk about her experiences as a plan sponsor issuing and working through an RFP. Debbie will share what it’s like to go through this process and talk about lessons learned. Session attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in this interactive session, steering discussion toward the topics you're most eager to hear about.
Presenters: Lisa Leitner, Manager, Stock Plans - Coinstar, Inc., Hilary Williams, Marketing Manager - E*TRADE FINANCIAL
Jewon Wee, Owner and Managing Director - ISP Advisors, Debbie Tsoi-A-Sue, Director, Stock Plan Services - Yahoo!
"Alternate Endings: Choosing Equity Vehicles that Work in the Real World"
E*TRADE Directions 2011 Conference
April 26 - 29, 2011 | Miami Beach, FL
With compliance costs and tax burdens soaring in many countries, stock plan managers are often seeking practical, cost-effective alternatives to "plain-vanilla" equity programs. The “one-size-fits-all” approach to offering equity-based pay programs globally can be a costly mistake for some countries. We will present examples of alternatives (including tax advantaged plans) that have been successfully implemented by multinational companies in selected countries (e.g., Australia, China, India, and the UK) and discuss the current regulatory landscape in each country that warrants seeking alternative equity vehicles, and discuss the pros and cons of various types of vehicles.
Presenters: Stephanie Greenwald - Qualcomm, Brian Um - E*TRADE, Tracy de Swiet & Jewon Wee - ISP Advisors
"Panel Discussion on Global Equity Administrative and Compliance Practices"
GEO 2011 California Forum
May 12, 2011 | San Carlos, CA
Tracy de Swiet from ISP Advisors will moderate a panel consisting of one small, one medium, and one large global stock plan sponsor.
Panelists: Veena Bahtia - Gilead Sciences, Inc., Rita Dickson - Oracle Corporation, Jacobin Zorin - Verigy Ltd.
"Own It! Covidien ESPP Case Study"
GEO Annual Conference
June 15 - 17, 2011 | Amsterdam, Netherlands
During this session we will present a case study of an extensive employee education campaign that Covidien undertook to increase participation in its Employee Stock Purchase Plan by employees based outside the United States. To reverse the trend of continued low participation in its ESPP by non-US participants (despite a generous 15% employer match!), Covidien invested significant time and resources in 2010 to help its non-US employees understand the pros and cons of enrolling in the Covidien Global Stock Purchase Plan. We will discuss the challenges and opportunities in developing a balanced employee education content for a global audience located in twenty different countries, including how to explain the tax implications without overly complicating the message. We will discuss how Covidien successfully leveraged both internal and external expertise, evaluate the outcome of the campaign, and share lessons learned with the audience.
Presenters: Kate Fournillier & Keith Bilezerian - Covidien, Jewon Wee - ISP Advisors, Mike Pewton - GlobalSharePlans.com
Designing and Implementing Equity Awards with Effective Forfeiture and Clawback Provisions
GEO Annual Conference
June 15 - 17, 2011 | Amsterdam, Netherlands
Because of recent trends and new legislation, companies are considering including forfeiture or recoupment/"clawback" provisions in their equity awards. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, enacted in July 2010 in the U.S., contains mandatory clawback provisions on incentive compensation following an accounting restatement. Such legislation may require a forfeiture and/or clawback of equity income regardless of any particular wrongdoing by an executive.
In this interactive session, our panelists will provide both a legal and an administrative perspective with respect to the roll out and implementation of such programs on a global basis. The panelists will address the legal impediments that may result in a forfeiture or clawback provision being unenforceable in a particular jurisdiction and will provide practical tips on how to best design and implement such provisions to reach the desired results. The panelists will also address some of the tax challenges that exist if equity awards/income is forfeited or recouped by a company and explain how a company would work with brokers or other administrators to accomplish a clawback. Lastly, they will explain the labor and entitlement issues that arise when restrictive covenants with regard to competition or solicitation are included in an equity award granted by a parent company that is not the individual's employer.
Presenters: Valerie Diamond, Narendra Acharya, Sinead Kelly - Baker McKenzie, Jewon Wee - ISP Advisors
"Abracadabra: Conjuring Up Administrative Solutions for Global Compliance"
NASPP Silicon Valley All Day Conference
June 23, 2011 | Santa Clara, CA
With the best of intentions, many companies seek to comply with local country laws when granting equity compensation abroad, and to make tax-favored equity programs available to their global employees. But when determining whether/how to offer equity compensation outside the U.S., practical administration issues and ongoing compliance costs are often overlooked. This session will discuss common system limitations and hidden costs associated with implementation and compliance in global locations. We will review solutions, lessons learned, and work-arounds successfully implemented by multinational corporations, with discussion of:
- Maintaining tax qualification in France
- Meeting filing requirements in Malaysia
- Managing a trust arrangement in Israel
- Special considerations for the non-US parent company, as issuer
- And more…
Presenters: Jacobin Zorin - Verigy Ltd, Tracy de Swiet - ISP Advisors
Past presentations by ISP Advisors:
If you would like to receive a copy of any of the presentation materials, please send us and email.
Certified Equity Professional Institute Annual Symposium
December 8, 2010 | Santa Clara, CA
"Creative Ideas for Burn Rate, Dilution & Share Pool Management"
Equity programs face greater scrutiny from shareholders, regulators, and the public than they did just a few short years ago. Company shareholders are pressuring management to reduce burn rates and dilution in order to maximize their return. For many companies this will result in dramatic changes in plan design, allocation of equity within the organization, and even replenishing the pool of shares. A major driving force of this change is the policies promulgated by Institutional Shareholder Services.
This session will focus on ideas and concepts for understanding and reducing burn rate and managing dilution and company share pools. We will touch on key aspects of ISS policy including the Burn Rate and Shareholder Value Transfer tests. It will include basic examples illustrating the policy and provide strategies for managing an equity program within the guidelines. We will go beyond traditional share pool management by exploring alternative strategies for managing dilution and maximizing the share pool. This will include delving into Net Exercise Methods, Share Buy-Back programs, and fungible share provisions, all while keeping a keen eye on any administrative challenges, valuation impact, and investor perceptions.
Panelists: Jon Burg, FSA - Radford, an Aon Consulting Company, Marsha Tepper, CEP - Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and Jewon Wee -ISP Advisors
GEO Boston Area Chapter Meeting
June 23, 2010 | Needham, MA
Jewon Wee presented two of his sessions that were given at the GEO Annual Conference, which was held in Chicago in April 2010:
"Affordable Global Equity Compliance: How to Manage Your Company’s Risk on a Tight Budget"
"International Best Practices: A Collection of Practical Solutions to Real Global Stock Plan Problems"
Full descriptions of these sessions can be found below, under the heading for the 2010 GEO Annual Conference.
E*TRADE 2010 Directions Conference
April 27 - 30, 2010 | San Diego, CA
"Crossing Borders with Equity: What You and Your Employees Need to Know"
Employees who participate in equity compensation programs while they are internationally mobile pose a unique set of challenges. Join this session to learn about cross-border issues with incentive plans and what you can do to better meet your tax and compliance obligations. We'll examine an expatriate and inpatriate scenario to provide the framework for this discussion.Speakers:
Adam Colon, E*TRADE Corporate Services
Kevin Dickinson, E*TRADE Corporate Services
Kevin O'Neil, Covidien
Jewon Wee, ISP Advisors, LLC
"Do It Yourself: Cost-Effective Global Compliance"Compliance tasks for global companies can be daunting and expensive. Drawing from real-life experiences, this panel will provide a practical framework for global equity compliance without breaking the bank. In this session, you'll gain the expertise needed to work effectively with stakeholders in the global equity compliance process and get tips for identifying cost-effective solutions to common administrative challenges.Speakers:
Ty Phimmasone, Qualcomm, Inc.
Jewon Wee, ISP Advisors, LLC
Global Equity Organization 2010 Annual Conference
April 14 - 16, 2010 | Chicago
"Affordable Global Equity Compliance: How to Manage Your Company’s Risk on a Tight Budget"
With many companies still operating under a tight budget, the sky-rocketing cost to comply with tax and regulatory requirements for globally offered share-based pay programs can present an opportunity to generate savings by bringing in some tasks in-house. This panel of global equity compliance experts, including advisors and in-house stock plan professionals, will present a framework for how a multinational plan sponsor can achieve global equity plan compliance on a tight budget. Drawing from real life experiences, speakers will identify the compliance tasks that the plan sponsor can successfully complete internally, and introduce you to free and economical resources you can use to gain the basic and advanced international stock plan compliance know-how to work efficiently with internal and external stakeholders involved in the global equity compliance process. Speakers will also discuss how to recognize situations that warrant professional help from external tax and legal advisors, and the techniques for minimizing the tax/legal fees when working with outside advisors.
Speakers:
Kelly Geerts, Sr. Program Manager, Global Payroll Programs & Strategy, Apply Inc.
Mike Pewton, Managing Director, GlobalSharePlans.com
Peter Vassallo, Reward Director-Equity Plans, BP plc
Jewon Wee, Managing Director, ISP Advisors, LLC
"International Best Practices: A Collection of Practical Solutions to Real Global Stock Plan Problems"
This panel will present a collection of useful technology and people solutions to real life problems that the panelists faced in connection with the plan design, administration, and compliance aspects of globally offered stock plans. Examples of global and countries-specific challenges and solutions that the panelist will share include: Overcoming worldwide participant data collection and payroll tax compliance challenge; understanding and managing currency-related issues; working with the Chinese entity and US broker to perform the activities needed to comply with China SAFE cash disbursement rules; dealing with various country-specific problems and changing regulatory landscape (e.g., UK non-discrimination laws, Denmark acquired rights issues, getting award agreements into compliance with 409A requirements in the US, India FBT rule change, etc.); and identifying and tracking mobile participants, developing policies and procedures for special handling of internationally mobile executives and dealing with trailing tax liabilities.
Speakers:
Jewon Wee, Managing Director, ISP Advisors, LLC
Brian Ruff, Director, Global Compensation & Benefits, Eli Lilly and Company
Barbara Richley, Senior Product Manager, E*TRADE Corporate Services, Inc.
National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP)
Chapter MeetingsKaren Needham, Managing Director for ISP Advisors, was the guest speaker at the following NASPP chapter meetings in August:
- August 25, 2009 - San Diego Chapter (hosted at Illumina, Inc in San Diego, CA)"Communicating the Upside of a Down Market"
- August 27, 2009 - Orange County (hosted at Broadcom Corp in Irvine, CA)"Effective Communication as a Stock Administrator in a Forever Changing Market"
Global Equity Organization (GEO) - 2009 Annual Conference
June 10 - 12, 2009 | Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel & Conference Center, Paris, France
Jewon Wee, Managing Director of ISP Advisors, and GEO board member, presented the following session at this event:
"Saving Globally Offered Equity Programs: How the Coca Cola Company and Covidien saved their Global Equity Programs in Today’s Challenging Economy"
Jewon's panelists included:
- Elizabeth Bastoni (Group Director, Comp & Benefits, The Coca Cola Company)
- Kevin O'Neil (Manager Equity Plan Administration, Covidien).
The Conference Board - 2009 Executive Compensation Conference
May 5 - 6, 2009 | The Lodge at Torrey Pines, San Diego, CA
Jewon Wee, Managing Director of ISPAdvisors, presented the following session at this event:
"What Every Employer Should Know About Using Company Stock to Pay Their Global Workforce"
Jewon's panelists included:
- Lisa Cummings (Sr. Director, International Compensation, Wal-mart Stores, Inc.)
- Raul Fajardo (Stock Administration Manager, Qualcomm Inc.)
- Thaddeus Sheppard (VP Executive Compensation, Marriott International, Inc.)
Copyright 2009-2013. Independent Stock Plan Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved.
Independent Stock Plan Advisors, LLC
Duxbury, MA 02332
