About
Mark specialises in advising on UK and cross border employee incentive arrangements, with a particular focus on advising management teams on the terms and tax treatment of their equity plans.
Mark’s work includes:
- advising corporate groups on the design, implementation and operation of a wide range of employee share plans as well as the treatment and negotiation of incentives in the context of corporate transactions;
- advising management teams of private equity backed companies in relation to their equity incentive arrangements;
- advising private credit clients on the establishment of management incentive arrangements for businesses that they have taken control of on both a consensual and non-consensual basis;
- dealing with share schemes aspects of M&A transactions; and
- advising buyers and sellers on the broader tax aspects of corporate transactions (in particular, private equity transactions).
Mark spent time in 2022 seconded to a private equity house to assist with the tax aspects of M&A transactions. He is a Chartered Tax Adviser and a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, as well as a member of the Share Plan Lawyers Group. Mark is recognised as a Leading Associate in the Legal 500.
Experience
- Advising Epiris on an investment by global investment firm HPS Investment Partners into its portfolio company Nucleus.
- Advising long-standing client Genius Sports Group on an agreement to acquire Spirable, a leading creative performance platform.
- Advising Smith & Williamson on its merger with the Tilney Group, creating the UK’s leading integrated wealth management group.
- Advising the management team of certain private equity-backed portfolio companies (including Domestic & General).
- Advising Improbable Worlds on the set up and operation of a tax efficient EMI option scheme.
- Advising Epic Private Equity on certain aspects of the operation of a jointly owned share plan, operating over shares in EPE Special Opportunities plc.
- Advising management of Asda on new MEP arrangements following the acquisition by TDR and the Issa brothers.
- Advising the St Modwen and Industrials REIT management teams following their respective take privates by Blackstone and combination to form Indurent, one of the UK’s largest logistics property owners.
- Advising the management team of Fastmarkets on a management equity plan following the £1.7bn take private of Euromoney plc by a consortium owned by funds managed by Astorg and Epiris.
- Advising the management team of Meadow Foods on its sale to Fairfax Financial and new management equity plan.
- Advising Evelyn Partners on the sale of its Professional Services business to funds advised by Apax Partners LLP.
- Advising Rocco Forte Hotels on the terms of the sale of a significant minority stake to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
- Advising Improbable Worlds Limited (Improbable) on its sale of The Multiplayer Group (MPG) to Keywords Studios for £76.5m.