12th Taxation of Executive Compensation and Retirement

Leading tax experts and HR executives on designing tax-efficient executive compensation
Date: September 16 & 17, 2014
Location: Toronto
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Highlights

- Hear leading tax experts and executives as they discuss tax-efficient executive compensation

- Learn about the latest trends in the taxation of executive compensation and retirement

- Assess the tax consequences of employment termination and severance arrangements

- Explore the avenues available when designing a tax-effective stock option plan for senior executives

- Understand the issues surrounding tax-effective SERPs

- Examine equity compensation alternatives, including: option repricings, capping benefits and the impact on employee value perception and fair value, and the use of hybrid instruments

Faculty

FACULTY
COURSE LEADERS
Peter Megoudis, Deloitte LLP
Peter Megoudis is a Partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP, where he specializes in cross-border compensation, tax planning and the design of tax effective benefits and compensation programs. He has been extensively involved in the field of Canadian and U.S. executive compensation and benefits, as well as cross-border planning, for the past 13 years.
Terra Klinck, Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP
Terra Klinck is a Partner at Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP. She advises employers in both the private and public sector on all legal issues relating to pension and employee benefit plans.
CO-LECTURERS
Lorraine Allard, McCarthy Tetrault LLP
Lorraine Allard is a Partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP. Her practice is focused primarily on pension plans and their taxation and regulation.
Dov B. Begun, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Dov B. Begun is a Partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. His practice includes taxation of employee and executive compensation.
Maureen Berry, Goodmans LLP
Maureen Berry is a Partner at Goodmans LLP. Her tax law practice includes executive compensation, estate planning and taxation of trusts and estates.
Heather Briant, Cineplex Entertainment LP
Heather Briant is Senior Vice President, Human Resources at Cineplex Entertainment LP. She is responsible for all aspects of the Human Resources function, including total and executive compensation.
Paul S. Carenza, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Paul S. Carenza is a Partner at Cassels Brock & Graydon LLP. He regularly advises clients on executive compensation matters, including compensation plan design and foreign assignments.
Gloria J. Geddes, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP
Gloria Geddes is a Partner at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP and the national leader of the Executive Compensation Group. She is involved in the design and implementation of tax-effective executive compensation plans.
Ayesha Shah, Saint Elizabeth Health Care
Ayesha Shah is Director of Total Rewards at Saint Elizabeth Healthcare, where she has end to end responsibility for all compensation, benefits, pension and recognition programs for the organization.
Lyle Teichman, Stikeman Elliott LLP
Lyle Teichman is a Senior Pensions Counsel at Stikeman Elliott LLP. His practice focuses on pension and employee benefits law, executive compensation, executive pensions, supplemental employee retirement plans (SERPs) and cross-border compensation issues.
Peter A. Wouters, The Empire Life Insurance Company
Peter Wouters is the Director, Tax and Estate Planning and Retail Risk Product Marketing with The Empire Life Insurance Company.

Program

COURSE PROGRAM
Developing a Tax-Efficient Executive Compensation Program
In order to design a compensation package that complies with new compensation governance principles and still achieves the goal of attracting, retaining and motivating senior people, your organization must develop compensation strategies that satisfy these principles without imposing a heavy tax burden on the executives who participate. This discussion focuses on the current state of the market.

Principles of risk-aligned compensation governance principles

Tax-efficient cash settled plans

Dealing with tax restrictions on deferred compensation

Tax-Effective Stock-Based Compensation
Mandatory option expensing, market uncertainties and shareholder pressure have prompted many companies to reexamine the real costs and benefits of stock options. In Canada, there is an increased use of restricted, performance and deferred-share vehicles, but many companies have not eliminated stock options. This session will examine key considerations when designing a tax-effective stock option plan for senior executives as well as recent developments that impose additional challenges for equity-based compensation.

Emerging market practices regarding equity compensation

Stock option plans with tandem stock-appreciation rights

Tax consequences for mergers and acquisitions

Selected Fringe Benefits
Companies often offer fringe benefits as part of the total compensation package, particularly to executives. However, perquisites and benefits that may initially seem attractive to executives will start to lose their lustre if they are not provided in a tax effective manner. This session will identify the latest developments in fringe benefits and outline how such benefits can be provided in a tax effective manner.

Fringe benefits that do not give rise to a taxable benefit

Fringe benefits that can be structured to avoid generating a taxable benefit

Situations that may give rise to an unexpected taxable fringe benefit

Statutory and administrative exceptions

Equity-Based Alternatives: Executive Compensation in Volatile Times
With compensation plans centred on stock options having become less attractive to top executives, organizations need to come up with more inventive alternatives to retain their key executives. This discussion details some of the tax implications of equity compensation alternatives to stock options.

Equity incentives that provide tax-deferred compensation

Types of plans and their tax treatment

Option repricings and capping benefits

Use of hybrid instruments

Deferred compensation penalties under the American Jobs Creation Act

Tax-Effective Use of Life Insurance
Successful executive compensation plans should contemplate the life insurance needs of senior executives, business owners and key employees. This discussion will focus on the design and tax treatment of innovative insurance programs to be incorporated into your executive compensation planning.

Shared insurance arrangements

Leveraged insurance programs

Corporate insured annuity programs

Tax effective split dollar coverage life insurance planning

Deferred Compensation
Deferred compensation plans are commonly used by companies to reward executives by permitting them to defer income until a future date. This session will discuss:

What constitutes a deferral of compensation

Overview of salary deferral arrangement rules

Latest developments in taxation of deferred share units and restricted share units

Common deferred compensation issues

Tying it all Together
Increased globalization, changing tax rules, as well as greater investor and regulatory scrutiny force organizations to constantly reexamine their compensation practices, searching for the appropriate mix of short-, mid- and long-term incentives. This session is designed as a review and synopsis of various individual sessions.

Public or private employer

National or multinational

Profitable or in a loss position

Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERPS)
SERPs are often used by leading employers as an attraction and retention tool for key executives. But SERPs can pose traps for the unwary and there are numerous tax and planning considerations to take into account in an effective SERP program. This session will focus on the key issues in the design and administration of SERPs.

Impact of CRA limits on registered plans

Design considerations

Recent trends in SERP designs and prevalence

Tax considerations in implementing SERPs

Defined benefit and defined contribution issues unique to SERPs

Funding and security options

Canada-US cross-border issues

Combining Governance, Tax and Strategic Issues -- The Role of HR Executives
Designing a tax-efficient executive compensation program isn’t just a concern to tax experts, but in many organizations it is very much a part of the HR and compensation professional’s area of responsibility. This discussion will explore some of the key areas.

Designing a tax-efficient executive compensation program

Key HR concerns

Weighing the options

Multimedia Presentations

MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION
Tax-effective stock-based compensation
Christina H. Medland
Meridian Compensation Partners
Selected fringe benefits
Mark Firman
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Tax-effective change-in-control agreements: Preventing executive departures
Elizabeth H. Boyd
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Equity-based alternatives: Executive compensation in volatile times
Chris D'Iorio
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Tax implications of receiving executive compensation
Jamie List
Bearing Capital Partners
Benefits of tax compensation and pension
Chris D'Iorio
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Designing a compensation plan
Bill Sutherland
Towers Watson
Compensation strategies that pay for performance
Uve Knaak
Canadian Western Bank
Tax considerations in designing equity-based incentive plans
Elizabeth H. Boyd
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Compensation governance: Opportunities and risks for directors
David H. Anderson
The Anderson Governance Group
Attracting and retaining executive talent
Victor Trotman
University Health Network
Compensation in turbulent times
Lawrence Levin
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Oversight of executive pay in Canada
Georges Soaré
Hugessen Consulting Inc.
Legal issues in executive retirement benefits
Ross Gascho
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Governance issues surrounding executive compensation
Georges A. Soaré
Hugessen Consulting Inc.
Trends in executive compensation
Georges A. Soaré
Hugessen Consulting Inc.
Risk management in executive compensation plans
Leanne Likness
Likness Governance Group
Tax-effective use of life insurance
J. David Thomas
Empire Financial Group
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERPS)
Jessica Bullock
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Communicating executive compensation
Steve Chan
Hugessen Consulting Inc.
Director compensation: Redesigned pay for redefined jobs
Phil Yores
Meridian Compensation Partners
HR panel discussion: Developing a tax-efficient executive compensation program
Heather Briant
Cineplex Entertainment LP
Liability in executive compensation cases
William J. Kenny, Q.C.
Miller Thomson LLP
D&O liability in executive compensation cases
Eleni Maroudas
Chubb Insurance Company of Canada
Integration of risk metrics in executive compensation design
Georges Soaré
Hugessen Consulting Inc.

Participants

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Cineplex Entertainment LP

Deloitte LLP

Goodmans LLP

Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP

McCarthy Tetrault LLP

Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Saint Elizabeth Health Care

Stikeman Elliott LLP

The Empire Life Insurance Company

Who should attend

Executives responsible for executive compensation, tax executives & directors, financial planners, consultants, business & HR executives looking for solutions to their compensation/retirement concerns

Price

Price list:-
  • Course: $1975
  • Webcast only : $1575
  • Webcast and Proceedings : $1874
  • Course and Proceedings : $2274
  • Proceedings Only: $799
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Additional Information

REGISTRATION:
To reserve your place, call Federated Press toll-free at 1-800-363-0722. In Toronto, call (416) 665-6868 or fax to (416) 665-7733. Then mail your payment along with the registration form. Places are limited. Your reservation will be confirmed before the event.
LOCATION:
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto, 475 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1X7, (800) 847-5075
CONDITIONS:
Registration covers attendance for one person, the supplementary course material as described in this document, lunch, morning coffee and refreshments during breaks are provided for registered duration. The proceedings of the event will be captured on audio or video. Multimedia proceedings with all slides and handouts can be purchased separately on a CD-ROM which will also include the event material.
TIME:
Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. The morning sessions start promptly at 9:00.
CANCELLATION:
Please note that non-attendance at the event does not entitle the registrant to a refund. In the event that a registrant becomes unable to attend following the deadline for cancellation, a substitute attendee may be delegated. Please notify Federated Press of any changes as soon as possible. Federated Press assumes no liability for changes in program content or speakers. A full refund of the attendance fee will be provided upon cancellation in writing received 13 days prior to event date. No refunds will be issued after this date. Please note that a 15% service charge will be held in case of a cancellation.
DISCOUNT:
Federated Press has special team discounts. Groups of 3 or more from the same organization receive 15%. For larger groups please call Sandra Frattolillo at 1-800-363-0722, ext. 223 to get more information.
PAYMENT:
Payment must be received seven days prior to the event date.