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Abhishek Gabriel

Associate in the General Corporate Practice at the Bangalore office of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Abhishek can be reached at abhishek.gabriel@cyrilshroff.com

Is Your ESOP Plan Ready for the Updated Proxy Advisory Playbook?

Summary: This article examines how proxy advisory firms have meaningfully tightened their scrutiny of Employee Stock Option Plan (“ESOP”) proposals, evaluating them on regulatory compliance as well as on governance standards. It explores the key areas of concerns in relation to dilution, exercise price, Board discretion, extension of benefits to group companies, etc., and highlights the practical risks companies face when ESOP schemes are drafted without first engaging with the updated proxy advisory guidance.Continue Reading Is Your ESOP Plan Ready for the Updated Proxy Advisory Playbook?

Reverse Flips and ESOPs: Bridging Global Incentives and Indian Regulations

Summary: This blog discusses the conceptual and regulatory framework governing employee stock options (ESOPs) in India in the context of ‘reverse-flips’, i.e., cross-border mergers and inbound restructurings, where incentives provide beneficiaries with an ownership right in the issuer company. It also explores certain practical aspects that are to be considered by Indian companies while designing and operating such incentive schemes post-merger.Continue Reading Reverse Flips and ESOPs: Bridging Global Incentives and Indian Regulations