“It’s great to be part of a dedicated employee share plan practice that allows you to really focus your expertise. Helping clients to cut through the complexities and implement something really powerful for their organisation is a fulfilling part of the job.”

Gavin leads the firm's employee share incentive practice. He helps clients with the design, implementation and operation of all manner of share plans and employment related securities. These include ‘growth share’ plans and Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) share options, for public and private companies, together with larger listed company executive remuneration and Long Term Incentive Plans.

He has extensive experience of helping both solely UK-based and international businesses, and his practice also extends to advising on employee benefit trusts and assisting businesses transition to employee ownership.

In addition to traditional share plan design elements, Gavin and his team also provide ongoing practical assistance in areas such as grant process management, performance condition monitoring, participant communications and the treatment of leavers. This also extends to getting 'deal-ready' for upcoming M&A activity, and helping businesses with their share plans in corporate transactions.

Areas of practice include:

Admitted

2009: Scotland

Relevant experience

Advising Parsley Box plc on their AIM flotation including share option exercises immediately on admission and pre-IPO rollover of options.
Advising Ricardo plc, on their new Directors' Remuneration Policy.
Drafting the rules of the Ricardo plc 2020 Long Term Incentive Plan that was approved by shareholders at the 2020 AGM.
Advising Collagen Solutions plc on the share incentive aspects of their £30 million recommended takeover by Rosen's Diversified, Inc.
Advising the selling shareholders of TV Squared on the share incentive aspects of their sale to Innovid.
Advising the selling shareholders of Optoscribe on the share incentive aspects of their sale sale to Intel Corporation.
Advising Epic Games on the share incentive and employment related security aspects of its acquisitions of Tonic Games and SuperAwesome.
Advising on the share scheme aspects of the £42 million sale by AIM-traded Bigblu Broadband plc of its European and UK satellite broadband business to Euronext listed Eutelsat SA. This involved negotiating the treatment of options and awards held by participants in a variety of jurisdictions.
Advising Ricardo plc on the ongoing operation of their various share incentive plans.
Advising on the Kelvin TOP-SET transition to employee ownership.
Advising on the Dunedin Advisory Limited transition to employee ownership.
Advising SpaceandPeople plc on their enterprise management incentive (EMI) share option plans, and on the establishment of their employee benefit trust.

“Gavin is a subject matter expert, but can explain things in layman’s terms.”

Chambers (2024)