Training

We can help keep you and your team up to date, catering to all your share plan training needs

Tailored training

Our tailored training sessions, workshops and guided meetings cover a wide range of topics, including:

Choosing the right kind of plan
Improving share award processes
Managing your share plan’s tax challenges
Financial services remuneration regulations
Market abuse regime & insider dealing
Non-Executive Director training on executive incentives
Employee benefit trusts
Operating plans globally
Malus and clawback
Preparing for a transaction

Certificate in Employee Share Plans

Our Certificate in Employee Share Plans is the UK’s only professionally recognised qualification for people working with UK share plans.

Accredited by the CGIUKI, more than 1,000 people have successfully completed the course!

To find out more about the Certificate in Employee Share Plans course, click here

Developed and delivered by our experienced Tapestry lawyers, this course comprises more than 30 teaching hours and covers:

Module 1

Introduction to Share Plans

  • The wide range of employee and executive share plans.
  • Reasons why companies choose to operate employee share plans.
  • The evolution of share plans and the regulatory environment in which share plans operate.
  • Key terminology used in share plans.
  • What “compliance” means and why it is important.
  • The key features and documents for a long term incentive plan.
Module 2

Design

  • Commercial factors that will influence plan design.
  • Who will be involved in designing a share plan.
  • Key design features of different kinds of share plans.
  • The key steps for launching a new share plan.
  • How key corporate governance principles and investor guidelines can impact on the design of share plans.
Module 3

Legal and Regulatory

  • The approvals and authorisations needed to implement an employee share plan.
  • Legal and regulatory issues that may arise when establishing and operating an employee share plan.
  • Issues restricting the times when awards can be granted and exercised or vested and shares can be sold.
  • The key legal principles relevant to share plans including:
    • Formation of a contract;
    • The use of trusts;
    • Malus and clawback;
    • Insider dealing;
    • Investment advice; and
    • Employment law (including age discrimination).
Module 4

International Plans

  • Why companies choose to implement global employee and executive share plans.
  • The key areas to be considered when designing/operating global share plans.
  • The risks of non-compliance with overseas regulatory requirements and the benefits of implementing a global compliance process.
  • The relevant considerations when dealing with mobile employees.
Module 5

Executive Share Plans

  • The key legal issues which arise in the context of executive plans.
  • The key plan structures used for executive plans.
  • Key features of executive plans, such as retention periods, malus and clawback, leaver provisions and performance conditions.
Module 6

Tax

  • UK tax and national insurance, including their purpose and classification.
  • The UK tax treatment of employee shares and share awards.
  • When share awards are subject to national insurance contributions.
  • How income tax and national insurance contributions are collected.
Module 7

All-Employee Plans

  • The main differences between all-employee and discretionary plans.
  • The key elements and tax treatment of UK tax advantaged all-employee savings related plans and share incentive plans.
  • The main differences between UK tax advantaged and non-tax advantaged plans.
Module 8

Accounting and Disclosure

  • Key concepts for accounting entries for employee share plans.
  • Disclosure obligations in an employee share plans context.
  • The key elements of directors’ remuneration and interests in shares to be disclosed to the company, the FCA and the company’s shareholders.
Module 9

Administration

  • What kind of administration services are available.
  • Data privacy requirements.
  • Key issues covered in an administration agreement.

Registration is now open for the 2025 course!

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Our team

At Tapestry, we’re not just lawyers, we’re specialists. We have the largest team of incentives lawyers in the UK – and we’ve picked the very best people to deliver training to your company and people.

Hannah Needle FGE
Hannah has been at Tapestry for 9 years and trained and qualified with an international law firm. Hannah has been a Board Director at Tapestry for 4 years, leading on the transition to a fully independent employee-owned law firm.
Hannah Needle FGE

Legal Director and Tapestry Board Director

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Chris Fallon
Chris was appointed to the Board when the firm became an employee owned business in October 2020, and has over 25 years of experience advising on UK tax-advantaged plans, senior executive plans and employee benefit trusts for listed companies and private equity owned businesses.
Chris Fallon

Legal Director and Tapestry Board Director

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Lorna Parkin
Lorna has been at Tapestry for 10 years and trained at DLA Piper. Lorna has been a Board Director at Tapestry for 4 years, leading on the transition to a fully independent employee-owned law firm.
Lorna Parkin

Senior Associate and Tapestry Board Director

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Suzannah Crookes
Suzannah has extensive experience advising companies on the introduction and ongoing operation of their share plans and other equity incentive arrangements in the UK and globally, both at executive level and for the wider workforce.
Suzannah Crookes

Legal Director

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Sarah Bruce
Sarah works with clients supporting the design and operation of their UK and global incentive plans. Her specialisms include implementing UK tax advantaged share plans, supporting administrator service provision, and advising pre-IPO businesses.
Sarah Bruce

Senior Associate

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Sally Blanchflower
Sally advises on all aspects of global and UK share plans for leading global companies and banks. Through the top FTSE and global clients that she works for, Sally has particular experience in the market practice for executive and all-employee plans operating in a multitude of countries, and managing the legal and tax compliance of those plans.
Sally Blanchflower

Senior Associate

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Paul Abthorpe
Paul has a broad range of experience supporting listed and private companies on their executive and all-employee incentive arrangements. He advises UK and international businesses in relation to the design, implementation and operation of incentives taking into account tax, legal and commercial requirements.
Paul Abthorpe

Senior Associate

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Carla Walsham
Carla’s primary focus is with global companies, helping them to navigate the various complexities they face when designing, implementing and operating their share plans internationally.
Carla Walsham

Senior Associate

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Emma Parker
Emma works with both UK and global incentive plans but specialises in all aspects of share plans for UK plcs, including advising on executive remuneration and UK tax-advantaged plans. She works closely with Company Secretarial and/or Reward functions within her clients to manage the legal aspects of delivering high value, often multi-jurisdictional share plan projects, including launching new global all-employee plans, renewals of executive plans, and managing migrations to new share plan providers.
Emma Parker

Senior Associate

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Matthew Hunter
Matthew advises world-leading companies on the design and implementation of their share, fund and cash-based incentive arrangements, including arrangements that comply with local tax benefits.
Matthew Hunter

Senior Associate

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Steve Penfold
Steve advises on tax-qualified employee share plans as well as global executive plans, advising on global due diligence and securities filings, share plan design and drafting plan documents.
Steve Penfold

Senior Associate

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Margaret Rankin
Margaret works with UK and global incentive plans and specialises in UK tax advantaged share plans, being qualified in both Scots and English law.
Margaret Rankin

Managing Associate

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Sonia Taylor
Sonia works with both UK and global companies and specialises in global compliance in relation to their executive and employee share plans.
Sonia Taylor

Managing Associate

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Rebecca Perry
Rebecca advises many leading companies on global compliance in relation to their executive and employee share plans, including advising on global due diligence and securities filings, share plan design and drafting plan documents.
Rebecca Perry

Managing Associate

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Tom Parker
Tom works with a variety of UK FTSE100 and FTSE250 companies on their incentive plans, with a particular interest in corporate governance considerations.
Tom Parker

Managing Associate

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Lewis Dulley
Lewis advises on all aspects of global incentive plans, including the design, implementation and operation of executive and employee incentive plans.
Lewis Dulley

Managing Associate

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Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia advises on global compliance of executive and employee share plans, including the provision of advice on global due diligence and securities filings, share plan design and drafting plan documents.
Olivia Rodrigo

Associate

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Gemma Morgan
Gemma qualified as a solicitor in December 2023 following a previous career as a Chartered Secretary, having worked in Company Secretariat teams at several FTSE listed companies and as a consultant in share plan administration on behalf of a range of clients dealing with all-employee and discretionary plans.
Gemma Morgan

Associate

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Kerishni Kundasamy
Kerishni works with our lawyers on all aspects of our client work including global compliance on executive and employee share plans, including the provision of advice on global due diligence and securities filings share plan design and drafting plan documents.
Kerishni Kundasamy

Legal Assistant (Trainee Lawyer)

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Izzy Martin
Izzy supports on global compliance for executive and employee share plans, including the provision of advice on global due diligence and securities filings, share plan design and drafting plan documents.
Izzy Martin

Legal Assistant (Trainee Lawyer)

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Luke Cuthbert
Luke supports on global compliance on executive and employee share plans, including the provision of advice on global due diligence and securities filings, share plan design and drafting plan documents.
Luke Cuthbert

Legal Assistant (Trainee Lawyer)

Bob Grayson
Bob works with many of the world’s leading companies advising them on developing the best strategy for global compliance.
Bob Grayson

Consultant (lawyer)

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Jess Mitchell
Jess has worked in global employee equity since 2005, first for Linklaters and then for Tapestry since its founding in 2011.
Jess Mitchell

Global Employee Equity Consultant

Sharon Thwaites
Sharon manages our online global database, 'OnTap', keeping abreast of global legal and tax compliance for global incentive plans in over 150 countries.
Sharon Thwaites

Global Share Plans Support Manager

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Gabrielle Miranda
As Senior Team Secretary, Gabby leads and manages the talented secretarial team, and oversees the administration and marketing of the Cert. ESP Course.
Gabrielle Miranda

Senior Team Secretary and Cert. ESP Coordinator

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Jessica Cook
Jess is an integral member of the secretarial team at Tapestry, she is the PA to the Board of Directors, plans corporate events, and assists with marketing initiatives.
Jessica Cook

Board PA and Team Secretary

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Linda Bartlett
Linda is a key member of the Team, currently responsible for the smooth running of Tapestry’s Global Database, OnTap, and it’s many subscribers.
Linda Bartlett

Team Secretary and OnTap Administrator

Ria Walker
Ria is an experienced secretary and excels in multitasking on a variety of adminstrative tasks.
Ria Walker

Team Secretary

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Sam Marks
Sam is an experienced secretary with broad and extensive skills and excellent attention to detail. 
Sam Marks

Team Secretary

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Nicola Taylor
Nicola seamlessly handles a variety of responsibilities, including supporting the OnTap Database Team and managing overseas trips.
Nicola Taylor

Team Secretary

Nichola Storey
Nichola looks after all aspects of the team's financial management.
Nichola Storey

Senior Finance Manager

Christoper Waite
Chris looks after all aspects of the team's financial management, including the firms e-billing systems.
Christoper Waite

Finance Manager

Debbie Knight
Debbie is a Credit Controller with over 40 years’ experience.
Debbie Knight

Credit Controller/Legal Cashier

Rachel Haines
Rachel is a specialised finance professional, managing client and office accounts at Tapestry.
Rachel Haines

Legal Cashier

Georgie Bestall
Georgie is a specialised finance professional, assisting with ensuring that client and office accounts at Tapestry are kept up-to date.
Georgie Bestall

Legal Cashier

Marianne Chalcraft
Marianne supports our practice with strategic planning, reporting, forecasting and finance.
Marianne Chalcraft

Consultant (Finance)

Lisa Brook
With exceptional attention to detail and strong organisational skills, she expertly deals with a myriad of responsibilities, including facilities management, risk and compliance, insurance, HR functions, employee benefits, payroll, and more!
Lisa Brook

Operations Manager

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Cathy McIntosh
Cathy McIntosh has been supporting Solicitors in their roles for the past 15 years. She assists in various projects across the team including being part of the Cert. ESP team.
Cathy McIntosh

Information and Business Support Manager

Dan Oldfield
Dan is an IT professional with experience in delivering and supporting a wide range of IT solutions. Dan oversees all aspects of Tapestry’s IT systems, applications, infrastructure and cyber security.
Dan Oldfield

Head of IT

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Trusted by the world's best

Client

Chambers & Partners 2025

Tapestry has been instrumental in providing us with advice on complex matters. They handle a broad range of matters in this space that very few firms are capable of.

Client

Chambers & Partners 2025

They are excellent at providing pragmatic advice that is actionable.

Client

Chambers & Partners 2025

Thorough guidance was always provided on all matters and the team was always available and responsive to whatever issues were raised.

Client

Legal500 2025

Tapestry are a boutique share plan firm, whose global reach means they're a one-stop-shop for us. Their industry knowledge is excellent, they take the time to get to know us as a business and what our specific needs are, and they're proactive in thinking about solutions to current issues or potential future issues.

Client

Legal500 2025

This team is hands-down the most knowledgeable and experienced in the field of employee share schemes in the UK. I cannot recommend them highly enough.