The NASPP Blog

Our popular “Meet the Speaker” series, featuring interviews with speakers at the 24th Annual NASPP Conference, is great way to get to know our many distinguished speakers and find out a little more about their sessions in advance of the Conference.

For today’s “Meet the Speaker” interview, we feature Aimee Soodan of Baker & McKenzie, who will lead the session “10 Golden Rules for Global Stock Plan Governance”

Here is what Aimee had to say:

NASPP: Why is governance of global stock plans a particularly timely topic right now?

Aimee: Companies are facing increased scrutiny with respect to corporate governance and compensation practices.  Coupled with constantly evolving laws in the U.S. and abroad, this makes for an increasingly complex environment when granting equity around the world.

NASPP: What is a common mistake companies make with their stock plan governance and how can they avoid this?

Aimee: A common mistake I see companies make is being overly zealous with delegations of authority (e.g., delegating authority to make grants under a plan, amend grants, adopt a sub-plan or take other administrative actions).  Without an effective delegation of authority, a company could find itself having to unwind unauthorized actions—resulting in a whole host of legal, tax and accounting issues.  To avoid this, a company should regularly review and refresh on applicable state law requirements in its state of incorporation, its compensation committee charter, SEC rules and plan terms.  (You’ll be surprised how many decisions are supposed to be made by the board of directors or compensation committee!)

NASPP: What is the silver lining here?

Aimee:  Armed with our 10 Golden Rules, companies will be well on their way to good stock plan governance, mitigating risk to the company (and hopefully resulting in a better night’s sleep).

NASPP: What is something people don’t know about you?

Aimee: I’m originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico and Hatch green chile (which is difficult to find outside of New Mexico) is one of my favorite foods.

Don’t miss Aimee’s session, “10 Golden Rules for Global Stock Plan Governance,” at the NASPP Conference!

About the NASPP Conference

The 24th Annual NASPP Conference will be held from October 24-27 in Houston. This year’s program features close to 100 sessions on today’s most timely topics in stock and executive compensation; check out the full agenda and register today!