Articles by Nigel Watson

Thought leadership

Equity for influencers: modern value creation, old architecture

19 May 2026

Thought leadership

UK pensions and the 401(k): why similar structures create different incentives

14 May 2026

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The excepted group life trust: the pension trust you probably already have, but rarely run properly

7 May 2026

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The portfolio effect: when bonus design becomes too good at finding a reason to pay

28 April 2026

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Paying for judgement in an AI-world

21 April 2026

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Managing the equity current: why listed companies need a stock policy, not just an EBT

14 April 2026

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Is an AI retention paradox hiding in equity vesting?

8 April 2026

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How do you reward top performers without repricing everyone else?

31 March 2026

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Secondary sale windows: the fastest way smart people lose control of their equity

25 March 2026

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The healthcare trust: the employee benefit you're probably already paying for - just in the least efficient way

17 March 2026

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The only way is down? Designing employee share plans for falling markets

9 March 2026

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The EMI term extension: why 15 years matters

5 March 2026

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Liquidity is the point – so stop designing infrastructure MIPs as if liquidity is optional

25 February 2026

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Employees have a cost of capital too (don't they?)

10 February 2026

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Malus and clawback: how effective is your policy?

4 February 2026

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How to hedge a promise: the new economics of EBTs

26 January 2026

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Hybrid LTIPs: pricing retention without abandoning performance

21 January 2026

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Uncapped unfair dismissal: why bonus and equity are now central to exit risk

8 January 2026

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When cash stops working. The real triggers for an employee equity plan

5 January 2026

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AIM's new approach to director pay: less "fair and reasonable", more governance

10 December 2025

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Seed to series B: a practical guide for sharing equity

1 December 2025

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Budget 2025. Pay rises, reward and salary sacrifice: navigating fiscal drag

1 December 2025

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Budget day for growth companies. Will EMI finally deliver for the investor generation?

24 November 2025

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Five CSOP failures that can derail a transaction

13 November 2025

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NED equity without strings. Why now?

10 November 2025

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The other tax wrappers: SAYE and SIP as retirement tools (Part 2)

5 November 2025

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Making deferral work: short-term credibility for long-term value

29 October 2025

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UK bank pay reform now in force: 2025 PRA/FCA rules

20 October 2025

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When ownership becomes over exposure: the hidden risk in employee equity (Part 1)

15 October 2025

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Rethinking share plan design: agency in the age of AI

8 October 2025

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Retention by design: re-engineering UK share plans for stickiness

1 October 2025

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From IPO dreams to tender offers: the rise of the startup bonus

25 September 2025

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Dilution: the quiet tax on equity incentives

23 September 2025

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Employee equity: the missing link in London's capital markets recovery

11 September 2025

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The serendipity and strategy of equity incentives

9 September 2025

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CSOPs as shadow shields: how to fix the one-dimensional share plan

3 September 2025

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The real economics of EMI, CSOP and unapproved options

27 August 2025

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Skills-based pay: progress or pandora's box?

12 August 2025

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Making equity matter: real ownership in uncertain times

30 July 2025

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The truth about employee equity: what you’re really getting (and why it’s built that way)

23 July 2025

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BrewDog, preference shares and the illusion of employee equity

18 July 2025

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Space X, secondaries and Pisces: Can the UK catch up on employee liquidity?

17 July 2025

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Incentivising extreme talent: how to reward people who already earn too much

4 July 2025

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From Advice Gap to Investment Gap Filler: FCAs New Plan Could Actually Work

30 June 2025

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Private markets are going retail. So should employee equity

25 June 2025

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You Don't Need an EOT to Have a Voice

20 June 2025

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EBTs: A Tool in Need of Reinvention

19 June 2025

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Exploring Fractional Solutions: Employee Equity

18 June 2025

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LTIPs v MIPs. Is there a winner?

17 June 2025

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The Tragedy (and Triumph) of EMI Options: Why We Keep Saying the Same Thing

16 June 2025

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Who runs an employee-owned company? Some governance observations.

28 May 2025

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Budget 2024

31 October 2024

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Scaleups, employee equity and a new liquidity market

5 September 2023

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Modernising employee share plans - potential new law?

22 November 2022

Thought leadership

CSOP options: HMRC confirms changes to the share class requirement rules

28 September 2022

Thought leadership

UK mini-Budget 2022 (Growth Plan) - CSOP options - changes afoot

23 September 2022

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Paying for a cash bonus? The shadowy world of shadow equity

31 August 2022

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Workers' windfall at KKR-owned company shows private equity shift

13 June 2022

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Diamonds in the rough?

22 July 2021

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Executive reward plans: death or glory?

5 July 2021

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EMI options: are they your dumb reach?

22 June 2021

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Purposeful capitalism and executive pay

7 June 2021

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Management equity: how envious are you?

27 May 2021