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GEOnews - 12 April 2013
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Today is the Last Day to Submit GEO Award Applications 
Today is the last day to submit applications for GEO Awards. If you'd like to join GEO's elite group of award winners, please visit the GEO website right away to learn more about how to submit an award application. If you have questions about a submission, please contact Pam Stetson at pam.stetson@globalequity.org.  Registration for NECF is Now Open
Experience a different kind of conference! GEO's 3rd Annual National Equity Compensation Forum is known for bringing together strategic-minded professionals who are interested in learning and networking in an intimate, comfortable venue. With an impressive keynote lineup, thought leaders and industry experts in attendance and a charming location, attendees are sure to experience the energy, the synergy and the difference that is NECF. Early registration rates are available now through 31 May 2013. Make your plans now to join us and experience everything that NECF has to offer--all at an amazing price!
 Experience Munich in June at GEO's 14th Annual International Conference
Invest in you! Join GEO in Munich 12-14 June for our 14th Annual International Conference and make a smart investment towards building your professional knowledge. The Conference will feature keynotes from the world of academia, regulators and top professionals as well as 54 sessions presented by leaders in their fields and companies. If your company offers equity on a global basis, this is the event to be at to ensure you stay relevant! Register before 30 April 2013 and save on Conference registration.
Participate in the 2013 GEO Global Equity Insights Survey As part of a joint project, Siemens and Hostettler, Kramarsch & Partner, GEO invites you to participate in its first ever Global Equity Insights Survey, which addresses current market practice of equity-based compensation and examines the prevalent plan designs across the world's most important economic regions. Any company with an equity-based compensation plan in place can participate in the survey; you do not need to be a GEO member to participate; however, to ensure the best results, companies should identify only one person to participate in the survey. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and must be completed by Monday, 22 April 2013. All participants will receive the full survey results.
Win a FREE GEO Conference Pass
Wondering if you have to withhold taxes on option exercises in Japan? Do you need to register your plan in Australia? Get answers to these questions and more with the new Baker & McKenzie Global Equity Matrix app. Download the app now for free on your iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone--just search for "Global Equity Matrix"--and get a chance to win a free conference pass of your choice to either GEO's 14th Annual International Conference in Munich, Germany 12-14 June or GEO's National Equity Compensation Forum (NECF) in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 23-25 October, a value in excess of $1,000*. Simply download the app, find the special code embedded in the app and enter it here. Contest ends 24 May 2013 and is open to service providers and issuer firms.
*at regular rates
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CONFERENCES
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18 April 2013
14th Annual International Conference
Munich, Germany
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WEBCASTS
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CHAPTER MEETINGS
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24 April 2013
The Agony and Ecstasy of Share-based Awards for International Assignees 2 May 2013
21 May 2013
The Proceeds Odyssey-
Challenges of Repatriation
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18 April 2013
Toronto Chapter
Toronto, Canada
REGISTRATION OPEN
16 May 2013
NY Chapter
New York, New York
REGISTRATION OPEN
23 May 2013
Netherlands Chapter
Amsterdam, Netherlands
REGISTRATION OPEN
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- 29 April-1 May - World at Work Total Rewards Conference, Hear our own Danyle Anderson speak on "Insights from the Inside: Private vs. Public Global Equity Compensation." Be sure to also visit the GEO booth, number 225, in the exhibit hall.
- 5-8 May - Solium Synergy, Hear our own Robyn Shutak speak at the session, "Hoedown Throwdown - Financial Reporting and Legal Challenge."
- 15-18 May - E*TRADE Directions 2013, Attend the sessions "So ESPPs Aren't Dead After All? A Design and Accounting Primer" and "Life Events & Equity Compensation" and hear from our own Robyn Shutak.
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- 25 April - Equity Awards Gone Public, Complimentary Pre-IPO Event Sponsored by Baker & McKenzie, BDO, EASi and Morgan Stanley.
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 James Clark 
Senior Director Executive and Equity Compensation
Applied Materials, Inc.
James Clark directs the executive and equity rewards strategies for Applied Materials, Inc. based in Santa Clara, California, the leading provider of manufacturing tools and services for the semiconductor, flat screens, glass and solar industries. He is responsible for all aspects of executive and equity compensation globally for the $9B corporation of 14,000 employees in 20 countries which includes plan design, implementation, communications and training. He works directly with the CEO, SVP of HR, CVP of global rewards and the compensation committee of the board of directors at Applied Materials to establish overarching rewards strategies and ensuring their definitive alignment of executive pay and equity pay with global business strategies. Prior to joining Applied Materials, he worked in the medical devices industry and designed incentive compensation programs and in the aerospace and information technology industries where he assessed and redesigned total reward systems, designed strategies in program management, awards, and workforce efficiency models. He holds a Master's degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and serves on the Executive Compensation Management Council with the Conference Board.
About Applied Materials, Inc.
Applied Materials is the global leader in providing manufacturing solutions for the semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic industries. Our technologies help make innovations like smartphones, flat screen TVs and solar panels more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses around the world.
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EU Regulator to Decide on Bonus Cap
Source: The Irish Times The European Union's banking regulator will decide over the coming months which bankers should have bonuses capped, raising hopes among lenders that the rules can be eased before they take effect in 2014. The EU approved a law to cap bonuses at no more than fixed salary, rising to twice the salary if shareholders give their approval.
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Proposed Return of the 75% Tax Rate
Source: Deloitte. Proposed changes to the taxation of compensation exceeding EUR 1 million. The President of France announced two tax propositions in a televised interview last week that are of particular interest to multinational companies with employees in France. Most notably, he reintroduced the 75% tax rate for highly compensated individuals.
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Share-Options Plans in Russia: Reasons to be Careful
Source: Herbert Smith Freehills There are many international businesses operating in Russia. Many encourage their employees to assume increased responsibility and, accordingly, to gain improved results, motivate their employees by implementing incentive schemes in the form of share-option plans. Share-option plans are used widely in Russia, but there are certain complexities involved in their structure and this note highlights some of the key issues to be aware of.
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2013 National Budget
Source: Deloitte. On 27 February 2013, the South Africa Finance Minister addressed a number of key issues in his 2013 budget speech. The budget speech outlined various measures proposed to protect the tax base and limit the scope of tax leakage and avoidance. Amongst these measures, changes are proposed to the tax treatment of employee share plans and, in addition, the taxation of trusts will be subject to review.
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Are Share Incentive Plans Right for Your Business?
Source: Bdaily We've all seen the breakdown of top executive's bonuses and wept quietly (or loudly) into our pillows. The salary and cash bonuses are handsome enough, but the share options often dwarf even these. Employee share schemes are nothing new, but have tended to be seen as the preserve of major corporations. However, thanks to the Government's Share Incentive Plan, it could make sense for you to offer shares to your employees.
Report on Employee Ownership Published
Source: Employee Benefits The Employee Ownership Association (EOA) has published a report that calls for a three-fold increase in the value of employee-owned firms to UK gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020.
Royal Mail Share Ownership Scheme Welcomed
Source: WSB Plans to award Royal Mail employees around £2,000 worth of shares in the firm when it is part-privatized have been welcomed. As WSB previously reported, Business Secretary Vince Cable has already deemed that 10% of the share holding in the firm should be reserved for its staff.
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Employee Share Plans - Recent Developments
Source: Lexology There have been a number of positive developments for employee share plans over recent weeks, as part of the Budget, the publication of the Finance Bill and other announcements. Many of the changes reflect the Government's new commitment to encourage employee share ownership, including simplifying the tax treatment of employee share plans, introducing new reliefs and easing administration.
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House of Lords Rejects Employee Shareholder Scheme
Source: Grant Thornton In a blow to the Conservative's plans announced with much fanfare at its party conference last year, the House of Lords has voted to reject the clause included in the Growth and Infrastructure Bill that introduced the concept of employee shareholders. Whilst the Conservatives may still be able to push the Bill through, lack of support from Liberal Democrat colleagues may make this difficult and ultimately significantly delay the proposed introduction scheduled for September 2013.
'Best Practice' is Damaging Talent Management
Source: HRmagazine A rigid attachment to 'best practice', rather than a focus on business needs, is preventing many organisations from unearthing and nurturing staff to drive their business forward, according to KPMG.
Government's Response to the Office of Tax Simplification's Proposed changes to the Taxation of Unapproved Share Plans
Source: Deloitte. The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has published their response to the UK Office of Tax Simplification's ("OTS") recommendations in respect to the simplification of unapproved share plans, published earlier this year (summarized in our February 2013 update). No final decisions have been taken; however, the government intends to consult on a number of the recommendations later this year, with any that are adopted to be implemented in the 2014 or 2015 Finance Acts.
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Judge Tosses AAR Corp 'Say on Pay' Lawsuit
Source: Thomson Reuters AAR Corp won the dismissal Wednesday of a shareholder lawsuit accusing the commercial aviation products company of failing to properly disclose how it determined executive compensation ahead of a scheduled say-on-pay vote. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve in Chicago said AAR was not required to disclose the information the proposed class action said was missing from its proxy statement, and that the plaintiff failed to show how the alleged omissions by AAR's board would harm shareholders.
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Global Equity Matrix App Navigates Legal Implications for Equity Awards
Source: Compliance Week The Global Equity Services Group of law firm Baker & McKenzie has launched a first-of-its-kind app that provides crucial legal and tax information from nearly 40 countries on granting equity awards to employees and executives of public companies.
Global Equity Matrix
Source: Baker & McKenzie The Global Equity Services Group at Baker & McKenzie is pleased to provide you with our latest Global Equity Matrix. This document summarizes information on key compliance issues for equity awards and covers tax and securities, exchange control, labor and data privacy issues in 40 countries.
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