Celebrating success at the ProShare Awards 2017

In 2017, ConvaTec committed to launching a new plan across all 45 countries in which they operate. In the desire to include all employees, they also created a phantom plan to cater for the jurisdictions where the traditional option plan wasn't possible. They put the participant journey at the heart of their share plan launch, and working with our in-house communications team, created and delivered an engaging communications strategy to ensure all employees were able to easily understand the benefits of the plan. Achieving 65% take-up in the UK is a fantastic achievement in the first year of a new contributory plan, and the figures from the rest of the world populations are also highly encouraging.

The Phillips 66 UK Share Incentive Plan was recognised at its first five year vesting, which was a fitting time to showcase the benefits their employees have enjoyed. The fantastic take-up of 99.3% is proof that Phillips 66’s strategy, communications and promotion of the plan to new employees has proved incredibly successful over the past five years.

SAP was recognised for both the innovative design of its new ‘Own SAP’ employee share purchase plan (launched in October 2016) and its unique enrolment solution. The plan was made simple and attractive through the removal of a minimum holding period; the capacity to sell in real-time; fractional shares (so the full employee contribution is used); the promise to keep employee tax simple; and the commitment to provide quality support to all, regardless of where they are located. Offering the plan in 70 countries created legal and technical obstacles that made it extremely complicated to design a simple enrolment process. Driven by their digital transformation agenda, SAP created a fully automated technology solution that delivers a first class participant experience and significant reductions in time and risk across HR and Payroll. More than 70% of eligible employees are enrolled in the plan, and the majority of all employees participate at the fullest extent every month. Crucially, the plan is creating high levels of employee ownership, with less than 11% of participants selling or transferring shares on average each month.

Superdry has been running a successful ShareSave for many years. This year they recognised the potential for refreshing their communications and bringing them closer to their instantly recognisable and highly distinctive brand identity. Working with our in-house communications team, we created an all-new communications strategy, featuring bold, fresh imagery and engaging messaging, strongly aligned with the Superdry brand and clearly demonstrating the benefits of ShareSave. The success of the communications was reflected in the results: take-up doubled from 2016 to 11.7%, representing a fantastic achievement.

Valero was recognised for their achievements in retaining and recruiting key personnel and are proud of the 99.86% uptake of their UK Share Incentive Plan. Driven by the CEO, employees are regularly updated on company performance, creating a strong link between an individual's contribution and the success of the company overall. By working closely with HR coordinators across their multiple sites, employees are well informed about the share plan, leading to a 100% participation rate from new employees. Staff turnover (excluding retirement) currently runs at less than 1% per annum.