Tapestry Compliance

Paul is a Senior Associate and has a broad range of experience supporting listed and private businesses on their executive and all-employee incentive arrangements, both in the UK and internationally. He advises in relation to the design, implementation and operation of incentives taking into account tax, legal and governance requirements. He has in-depth experience of supporting fast growth tech companies in relation to their incentive arrangements, including as they prepare for a sale or IPO. He is also a senior member of the team that focusses on our very successful target Japanese market, having a number of Japanese clients. Paul trained and qualified with international law firm Pinsent Masons before spending 8 years working in the Reward practice of PwC. He was also on in-house secondment at a FTSE 100 company where he was involved in the grant and vesting of share plan awards to a global employee population. Paul leads on clients such as Drax, HSBC and RELX.

Sally Blanchflower

*Sally is recognised as a Star Associate in Chambers&Partners* Sally is a Senior Associate who 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 market practice for executive and all-employee plans operating in a multitude of countries, and managing the legal and tax compliance of those plans. In particular, Sally has facilitated various design workshops to help her clients with the design, launch and implementation of new global plans from scratch, in a practical and effective way. Sally also works with clients on the corporate governance requirements for their executive remuneration and the reporting of incentive arrangements in their annual reports. Sally leads or plays a key role on many of Tapestry’s biggest clients including Unilever, AkzoNobel, Aviva, HSBC, International Airlines Group, Shopify and Dr. Martens. As well as regularly presenting at industry events, Sally sits on the ProShare Advisory Board and regularly leads the legal content for ProShare’s Global Focus Group. She leads our global webinar programme and delivery of our incredibly well-received client roundtables. Sally also holds the role of employee trustee director of the Employee Ownership Trust for Tapestry.

Sarah is a Senior Associate with over 15 years of experience specialising in tax and share plans. Before joining Tapestry, she jointly headed the tax team at leading corporate firm Walker Morris. Sarah works with both UK and global clients on the implementation of UK and global incentive plans, and specialises in UK tax-advantaged share plans. She provides tax advice across a range of employment and corporate transactions and has particular experience advising privately-owned and PE/VC-backed businesses and in providing tax advice to management teams in the context of corporate transactions. Sarah’s clients include Nissan, Future, Leisure Resorts and eToro. Sarah joined Tapestry with a wealth of tax experience, having been previously ranked in the regional Chambers guide.

Suzannah Crookes

* Suzannah was ranked in both Legal Directories before her move to EY (from where she joined Tapestry), when client feedback described her as “simultaneously inquisitive, a deep thinker and pragmatic.”* Suzannah is a Legal Director (Partner equivalent) at Tapestry. Suzannah also holds the role of employee trustee director of the Employee Ownership Trust for Tapestry. Suzannah has extensive experience advising UK and overseas companies on the introduction and ongoing operation of their share plans and other equity incentive arrangements, both at executive level and for the wider workforce. She supports companies in the design and implementation of plans to meet tax, legal and governance best practice requirements whilst maintaining focus on effective communication and alignment with commercial strategy. She works with companies to ensure compliant operation of plans both in a “business as usual” context as well as through any corporate actions. Suzannah’s clients include The Coca-Cola Company, Morgan Stanley, Getty Images and Volvo. Suzannah has recently brought in significant new projects from Legal & General, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson Matthey and International Airlines Group. She also provides specialist advice to industry intermediaries, such as trustee company CSC and financial education provider Wealth @ Work. Suzannah is co-lead on the team running the Certificate in Employee Share Plans course, the only professional qualification in the UK in this industry, which is accredited by the CGI UK & Ireland. Tapestry provides the course content and teaching and Suzannah is responsible for all aspects of delivery, working closely with the CGI to organise the course and examinations. Suzannah sits on the UK Chapter committee of the Global Equity Organization and the Steering Committee of the Employee Share Ownership Centre, providing thought leadership on employee share ownership. She works closely with leading UK industry body, ProShare, contributing to a number of their Focus Group discussions and providing regular training sessions for members. She frequently speaks at conferences for all of these organisations, as well as being invited to present at conferences organised by intermediaries in the industry. She has been in regular dialogue this year with members of HM Treasury and the London Stock Exchange Group in relation to development of the new regulatory regime for trading of unlisted securities (PISCES).

Chris is a Legal Director (Partner equivalent) and is Tapestry’s “UK Counsel”, both internally and externally. Chris has over 20 years of experience working with top-ranked legal and incentives teams delivering UK and global plan design and implementation. Chris is widely-recognised for his substantial expertise in incentive matters for all business types. He can draw upon a deep range of experience when providing practical and proactive, solution-driven advice on discretionary executive plans, corporate governance and remuneration disclosures, as well as advising on broader employment related tax issues. He also has significant expertise in dealing with Employee Benefit Trusts and private equity-owned businesses. Chris’s clients include London Stock Exchange Group, CMC Markets, Entain and Sage, as well as Vertical Aerospace and Spirax Sarco. Chris regularly presents at many industry events including those run by industry body ProShare, sharing his expert knowledge with the market, and is a member of the ProShare Advisory Board. He has also assisted ProShare with successfully lobbying HMRC and the government on various industry issues, including discussions around how the UK Government’s recent tax changes will impact share plans affecting the wider workforce. Chris has recently been invited by representatives of the Japanese Government to assist their awareness and understanding of the UK’s incentive framework and global practice to help improve the equivalent regulatory framework in Japan and increase the use and effectiveness of incentives in that country. Chris’s role as Tapestry Board Director for the Employee Ownership Trust gives him invaluable practical experience of structuring employee-focussed solutions, from within. Chris is severely sight impaired (blind) and is a member of The Society of Visually Impaired Lawyers.

Bob has spent his career advising on the global aspects of employee incentive arrangements. His work has included plan rule drafting, communications materials, trust and hedging arrangements, nominee arrangements and all other legal aspects of incentive plans from initial design to post-vesting dealing arrangements. As a leading expert on global compliance for incentives, first at Linklaters, then in-house at Shell, he brings immense practical experience in dealing with the legal documents and global compliance issues from a business perspective. Since transitioning his shares in Tapestry to the Employee Ownership Trust, Bob continues to work closely with the team as a consultant (Partner equivalent) and remains widely-respected by the industry for his wealth of knowledge and commercial approach, now focussing his efforts on Tapestry’s hugely successful target market in Japan.

Matthew is a Senior Associate with broad experience in advising clients on all aspects of their global incentive arrangements. Matthew advises leading multinational companies across a broad range of sectors on the design, implementation and ongoing legal and tax compliance for their global executive and all-employee share, fund and cash-based incentive arrangements, including companies such as Ascendis Pharma, Comcast, Legal & General, Lucid Motors, Morgan Stanley and Schroders. Matthew also has particular expertise in advising companies that are subject to financial services remuneration regulations and leads Tapestry’s work in that sector. He advises a number of the world’s leading global banks and asset managers in relation to their remuneration structures. Matthew regularly presents at industry events in Europe and the US. Matthew co-chairs the ProShare Financial Services Focus Group and is co-secretary to the Share Plan Lawyers Corporate and Regulatory Committee.

Hannah is a Legal Director (Partner equivalent) and advises many leading global companies on the implementation and operation of all forms of global executive and employee share and incentive plans, including the design and establishment of new plans, global compliance, managing grants and maturities under existing plans and on technical tax and legal matters. She also advises on the impact of corporate transactions that may affect a company's global incentive arrangements. In recent years, Hannah has been instrumental in liaising with the UK’s tax authority (HMRC) regarding various important clearances which have enabled clients to deliver significant tax efficiencies. She leads on the work we do for clients such as TP ICAP, Tesco, Rentokil Initial, Unilever and Schroders. Hannah has been recognised as a ‘Best Lawyer in the UK’ for Employee Share Schemes for the last 2 years running. Inclusion in ‘Best Lawyers’ is based on a rigorous peer review and symbolises excellence in practice. Hannah has been appointed to the Practical Law Share Schemes & Incentives Consultation Board, which brings thought leadership to Practical Law's offering in this area. Hannah is closely involved in the Global Equity Organization (GEO). She has been granted fellowship status, which recognises her as an industry-leading professional, and serves on GEO's Board of Directors, where she has just recently been appointed to the Executive Committee. Hannah is the Co-Chair of the Share Plan Lawyers’ (SPL) Corporate and Regulatory Committee and leads a number of the Committee’s working groups, including leading the SPL response to the FCA PISCES consultation and leading the industry discussions with the FCA and HM Treasury on changes to the market abuse regulations in the UK, post-Brexit. This year, working alongside GEO’s Executive Director, Hannah has been instrumental in rolling out the inaugural year of GEO’s brand new Future Leaders Programme, which is aimed at helping develop emerging leaders in the industry (see: www.globalequity.org/future-leaders). Hannah is a sought after speaker at international conferences and events, including 2 events for Employee Ownership Australia, in Melbourne and Sydney, in November 2024 (see here). Hannah sits on Tapestry’s Board of Directors under the Employee Ownership Trust structure.

*Emma is recognised as an Associate to Watch in Chambers&Partners* Emma is a Senior Associate who has particular expertise advising on UK corporate governance issues for large listed plcs, as well as advising in relation to tax-advantaged plans (both in the UK and overseas). Emma advises some of Tapestry’s biggest clients on the design, establishment, communication and strategic operation of employee share plans, plan rule drafting, and reviewing the legal and tax aspects of plan awards. Emma’s clients include Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Costa, Howdens and Hays Group. Emma is one of the senior teachers on Tapestry’s accredited Cert. ESP course (having previously led on the implementation of a successful online version of the course during the pandemic), and regularly speaks at the ProShare conference and at other industry events (e.g. on ProShare’s Intro to ESO course). Emma also holds the role of employee trustee director of the Employee Ownership Trust for Tapestry and leads Tapestry’s internal training programme.

Tom is a Managing Associate who advises on the legal, regulatory and tax aspects of implementing and operating incentive plans for executives and employees around the world. This includes tax-advantaged arrangements, global plans, corporate governance and reporting considerations, and the set up and ongoing operation of employee benefit trusts. Tom works with a number of UK-listed clients as well as global financial institutions and plays a key role in the work we do for TP ICAP, Aviva and GAM. Tom has presented at GEO conferences and is fundamental to our global webinar programme, regularly presenting on technical and market updates. Tom also teaches on Tapestry’s Certificate in Employee Share Plans Course, as well as ProShare’s Introduction to Employee Share Ownership course.

Lorna is a Senior Associate with particular expertise in advising global companies and banks, and has experience in advising on all aspects of executive and employee incentive matters. This includes global and UK employee share plans and executive remuneration. Lorna has a broad corporate and commercial background and offers practical, commercial advice. Lorna is a lead on a number of our large global clients such as Rolls-Royce, Volvo, Dell and TripAdvisor and plays a key role in client relationships with Morgan Stanley. Lorna is recognised as a Recommended Lawyer by Legal 500 and was recognised in 2024 as ‘One to Watch in the UK’ in ‘Best Lawyers’. Inclusion in ‘Best Lawyers’ is based on a rigorous peer review and symbolises excellence in practice. She regularly presents at many industry events and is a member of the ProShare Global Focus Group. Lorna also sits on the Board of Directors of Tapestry under the Employee Ownership Trust structure, using her wealth of experience for the benefit of the firm.