Nick Hipwell

Partner
About

Nick has over 20 years' experience of advising companies on the design and implementation of employee incentive arrangements, including plans relating to cash, shares and other instruments.

Nick leads DLA Piper’s Incentives team which is ranked in Band 2 in the Legal 500. Nick is recognised as a Leading Individual and has received praise for being: “responsive, engaging and client focused” and having “an amazing way of making the client always feel special, and always delivering expertise on time to the price stated”.

Areas of FocusEmployment

EXPERIENCE

Nick’s experience includes advising:

  • On the design and implementation of a multiple award‐winning incentive plan offered to all the employees of a global technology company in over 70 countries. Nick's work included reviewing the plan's compliance with local laws, the preparation of all plan documents, liaising with the plan's administrator and the closure of a suite of existing plans. Take‐up of participation in the plan by employees was far higher than market norms.
  • A P/E owned company on the design and implementation of a broad‐based employee share plan for approximately 28,000 employees in over 15 countries.
  • The design and implementation of an all‐employee share plan for a FTSE 50 company for its employees in over 20 countries.
  • Many P/E owned companies on the design and implementation of incentive arrangements for employees below the executive level, including several which involved all employees across multiple countries.
  • On the implementation of a suite of new share plans for a multinational asset management business. The advice included compliance with the remuneration rules which apply to the sector, local laws and the preparation of a comprehensive suite of implementation documents.
  • On the design of executive and all employee incentive plans for employees in various countries in a range of sectors.
Education
  • College of Law, Diploma in Legal Practice, 1996
  • Leicester University, LLB, 1995

Prior Experience

  • 2011 - 2018 - Partner, Big 4 firm
  • 1999 - 2011 - Solicitor, magic circle law firm

Memberships And Affiliations

  • ProShare
  • Share Plan Lawyers

Connect