A night of success for clients at the IPSA Awards 2018

Boston Scientific had one overarching objective for their Approved Profit Sharing Scheme (APSS) in 2017/2018 – to increase participation. Through a targeted communications strategy and the tireless efforts of both Anne Marie Halley and Angela Burke, the scheme saw an increase in take up of 113%. Both Anne Marie and Angela proactively promoted the scheme using face-to-face meetings at the benefits days, an interactive brochure, wallet cards, posters and recorded presentations. They were also on hand to answer questions employees had, even developing a ‘Ready Reckoner’ tool that allowed employees to enter their salary and work out their possible bonus and how much they can invest in the scheme. Through teamwork and putting the employees at the heart of everything they do, they firmly embody what it means to be an employee share plan champion.

Hostelworld Group Plc’s SAYE reflects their company objective of providing adventure. With the added security of being a low-risk scheme, Hostelworld offers employees the opportunity for adventure by investing in the future of their company. Their innovative strategy behind the plan clearly demonstrated how well Hostelworld know and understand their employees. They had worked with their advisors to create a thoughtful plan that clearly met their needs.

MSD has been in Ireland since the 1980s and has shown great commitment to both the country and their employees, ensuring that they benefit from the growth and profitability of the company in a key market for the company. Through their six Approved Profit Sharing Schemes, they drive employee engagement, recruitment and retention – which is vital in their competitive marketplace. The schemes have been running for almost two decades with a high participation rate of almost 80%. Even more impressive is that the HR team, working with their advisors, have increased participation by 5% year on year.

Musgraves’ long term approach is to produce sustainable wealth for the benefit of all stakeholders – not just for short term financial gain. This one statement alone encapsulates what employee share ownership is about and should be the aim for all share plan issuers. The judges unanimously praised Musgrave for its commitment to its employees, viewing them as their best asset. They felt that the strong alignment between their Profit Sharing Scheme, their Share Incentive Plan (in Northern Ireland) and their long term strategies is exceptional and should be considered the benchmark for all private companies.