Employee Share Plan Trust Landing Page

Designed specifically to support employee share plans and connect seamlessly with our registry and equity plan platform.

Single platform

Specialist Equity Plan focus

Independent trustee governance

Operational support for plan events

Governance and operational complexity in employee share plans

Employee equity arrangements are receiving increasing scrutiny from boards, auditors and regulators. At the same time, companies face practical challenges such as sourcing shares at the right time, managing forfeitures and maintaining governance through complex plan events.

In many arrangements, trustee services operate separately from plan administration, creating additional coordination, cost and operational complexity.

What is an employee share trust?

An employee share trust is a sole-purpose trust established to acquire and hold company shares for employees participating in an employee share plan, commonly used to support the tax and governance framework for equity incentives.

trustee-diagram

Why companies use employee share trusts

Warehousing shares ahead of vesting
Acquire shares progressively to avoid last-minute purchases andmarket impact.
Recycling forfeited shares
Reuse shares efficiently for future awards instead of repeatedon-market buying.
Supporting deferred equity and disposal restrictions
Hold restricted shares while still passing economic and voting benefits to participants.
Capital management flexibility
Choose between new issue, on-market purchase, or a combination.

When an employee share trust may not be required

Not all employee share plans require a trust. In simpler arrangements, shares may be issued or acquired at the time of vesting without the need for ongoing warehousing or recycling. The right structure depends on plan design, scale, and future intent.

We'll tell you when a trust adds value - and when it doesn't.

Purpose-built

Our trustee services are purpose-built for employee share trusts, not adapted from funds or custody models.

Independent

Trustee decisions are made independently, with operational integration across registry and ESP teams to reduce friction.

Practical

We challenge unnecessary complexity and design structures proportionate to your needs.

Our Trustee Services

Acting as trustee for employee share trusts
Share acquisition, holding, allocation, forfeiture and recycling
Dividend and distribution management
Support for plan events and corporate actions
Trustee governance, reporting and audit support

Who We Work With

ASX-listed companies
Large unlisted and pre-IPO companies
Companies with complex or growing employee equity arrangements

Built for board and audit scrutiny

Our trustee services operate within clear acceptance criteria, strong fiduciary governance, and robust controls. We work closely with legal, tax and audit stakeholders to ensure trust arrangements stand up to scrutiny.

Trusted by leading organisations across Australia

Specialist Employee Share Trust Services

Designed specifically to support employee share plans and connect seamlessly with our registry and equity plan platform.