Employee share schemes for Small Businesses

The Employee Share Ownership Centre is hosting a free one day workshop on employee share schemes. 

The event will take place on May 20 at Travers Smith’s offices 10 Snow Hill, London, EC1A 2AL from 9:30am to 5:30pm.

The focus of the workshop will be on increasing take-up of share schemes among SMEs and the development of a common European share scheme model. 

8:30 – 9:00 Registration 

9:00 – 9:20 Welcome and introduction 

Malcolm Hurlston, chairman, Esop Centre

0920—0940 Employee share ownership in the UK

Adrian Bailey MP and member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Employee Ownership

9:40 – 10:00 The importance of employee financial participation in the EU and outlining details of the project 

Prof. Jens Lowitzsch, Free University of Berlin and University of Frankfurt & EESC representative

10:00 – 10:30 evidence of employee share ownership effects based upon a project commissioned by Computershare and carried out by the London School of Economics 

Iain Wilson, Computershare 

10:30 – 10:50 coffee break

10:50 – 11:25 Advantages of employee share ownership for businesses & employees

Mike Landon, MM&K

11:25 - 12:00 The tax-efficient HMRC-approved schemes (SIP, SAYE, CSOP and EMI) 

David Craddock, David Craddock Consultancy Services

12:00 –12:35 Implementation & corporate governance: dealing with changes to articles & shareholder dilution 

Geoffrey Bond, RM2 Partnership

12:35 - 13:10 Opportunities for using Eso as a business succession tool 

David Craddock, David Craddock Consultancy Services

13:10 – 14:00 Luncheon

14:00 – 14:30 How mutuals are being used as a model for the public sector in the UK

Craig Dearden-Phillips, founder of Stepping Out & Guardian commentator 

14:30 – 15:00 Case history from SME company with an Eso plan 

Mahesh Varia, Travers Smith 

15:00 – 15:30 The French models for employee financial participation 

Paul Maillard, FONDACT

15:30 – 15:50 Coffee & refreshments

15:50 – 16:20 What policy proposals might emerge from the EFP project?

Prof. Jens Lowitzsch, Free University of Berlin and University of Frankfurt

16:20 – 16:50 Remarks on the day’s proceedings by representative groups 

16:50 – 17:30 Open to the floor for questions on and discussion of the days papers 

All speaker panel

 An employee share scheme can provide a tax-efficient way to attract and retain key staff to grow your business.Properly structured it can offer valuable financial benefits to both shareholders and employees. Whether your company is privately held or is listed, you and your team can install one or more tax efficient share or share option schemes in your business without spending a fortune.

The Enterprise Management Incentive gives SMEs a chance to compete with larger companies for talent without paying high salaries. EMI is the most popular scheme ever in the UK and is now operated by more than 10,000 companies. Many SMEs are increasingly using it as an all-employee plan. The scheme is designed with a deliberate degree of flexibility so that companies can tailor the design to meet their own business needs.

There are limited spaces available, entry is free of charge. To reserve a space please send name(s) and contact details to dpoole@hurlstons.com. The workshop is part of the European Economic and Social Committee's employee financial participation in the EU 27 project.