Melissa Reid’s practice focuses on employment law and management equity arrangements.

She advises in cross-border and domestic public and private M&A and joint venture transactions for corporate, financial, and investment fund clients, including TUPE work, and on a broad range of standalone advisory matters, including senior executive appointments and exits. She also has a substantial management equity, incentives, and executive compensation practice, including advising on regulatory remuneration rules under CRD IV, the AIFMD, and UCITS V.

Melissa has particular experience leading the employment work on large and complex multijurisdictional corporate transactions. She also has experience on a range of UK corporate, commercial, and partnership matters.

Melissa joined the firm in 2007 and became a counsel in 2019.

Notable Experiences

  • Vale S.A., in relation to its base metals group, in the establishment of a long term incentive program for employees and a standalone NED grant

  • IXcellerate, a leading operator of commercial data centers, in the establishment of a management incentive plan

  • Uzum, a fintech and e-commerce platform provider in Uzbekistan, in the establishment of an equity incentive plan

  • Brasil Warrant, a Brazilian family office, in the establishment of UK employment and secondment arrangements in connection with a regulatory hosting arrangement

  • Warburg Pincus and its portfolio company Infinite Electronics on the employment and incentives aspects of the acquisition of Bulgin, a UK-based developer and manufacturer of connectors and related components for harsh-environment applications with substantial operations in North Africa

  • Latour Capital, a French private equity firm, on the employment aspects of its agreement to acquire Gutor by way of carve out and disentanglement from Schneider Electric SE

  • A UK-based subsidiary acquired by Sabre Corporation, a U.S.-headquartered travel technology company, in the establishment of a long-term cash bonus plan for senior employees

  • WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp, a U.S. listed company, on the employment and incentives aspects of its agreement to sell Mobile Mini UK, a leading supplier of steel storage and accommodation units, to Modulaire Group

  • Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV, a Mexican listed multinational baked goods company, on the employment and incentives aspects of its acquisition of St. Pierre Groupe, a UK-based baker of brioche-style products with a growing presence in the U.S.

  • KBR, Inc., a U.S. listed science, technology, and engineering company, on the employment and incentives aspects of its acquisition of VIMA Group, a UK-based provider of digital transformation solutions to defense and other public sector clients

  • Duravant, a food processing and packaging equipment company, on the employment aspects of a minority buyout transaction

  • ACG Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company, on the employment, incentives, and corporate governance aspects of its initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange

  • Target Global, a technology venture capital firm, on the employment and incentives aspects of its series B investment in Yu Life, a life insurance company

  • LivaNova PLC on the cross-border employment aspects of its €60 million divestiture of its heart valve business to Gyrus Capital S.A. (involving c.900 employees in 19 jurisdictions), the establishment of a new global LTIP, the preparation of annual Directors’ Remuneration Reports and their Directors’ Remuneration Policy, and in respect of a clawback policy

  • CI&T, a global digital specialist, on the cross-border employment and incentives aspects of its £46.7 million acquisition of Somo Global Ltd, an award-winning digital product agency headquartered in the UK, from individual sellers and over 100 option holders

  • Tempur Sealy on the UK employment and incentives aspects of its $475 million acquisition of Dreams in the UK

  • Republic, a private investing platform, on the cross-border employment and incentives aspects of its acquisition of Seedrs, a crowdfunding platform, from individual sellers and c.180 option holders by way of scheme of arrangement

  • General Mills on the UK employment aspects of the sale of its European operations to Sodiaal

  • The employment and incentives aspects of the establishment of Monograph Capital, a life sciences venture capital firm

  • Fimalac, French billionaire Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière’s holding company, on the cross-border employment aspects of its acquisition of Jellyfish, a London-based digital ad agency

  • Voya Investment Management on the employment aspects of its acquisition of the technology and hiring of the founding team of G Squared Capital LLP (G2), a London-based investment manager that serves institutions and other sophisticated investors

  • Euronext on the cross-border employment aspects of its €4.325 billion acquisition of the Borsa Italiana Group from the London Stock Exchange Group plc

  • Brookfield Business Partners L.P. on the UK pensions aspects of its $5.8 billion acquisition of Scientific Games Corporation’s global lottery services and technology business

  • Bekaert in the implementation of a management equity plan in its joint venture with OTPP-owned Bridon

  • Walgreens Boots Alliance on the cross-border employment aspects of the $6.5 billion strategic transaction with AmerisourceBergen Corporation

  • BNP Paribas on the cross-border employment aspects of a novel transaction in relation to Deutsche Bank’s global prime brokerage and electronic equities businesses and in the acquisition of a Delta One book

  • Hillhouse on the management incentive aspects of its acquisition of The Loch Lomond Group (LLG), together with LLG’s management team, from Exponent Private Equity

  • Fidessa group plc on the share incentives aspects of the approximately £1.5 billion acquisition by takeover offer of Fidessa by Ion Capital

  • Belron Group, owner of the Autoglass and Carglass business, on the management incentive plan established following the investment in Belron by funds managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

  • La Financière ATALIAN S.A.S. on the employment aspects of its acquisition of Servest Limited

  • Credit Suisse on the cross-border employment aspects of its spin-out of Credit Suisse Quantitative and Systematic Asset Management

  • Alpha Capital Partners on the management incentive aspects of its successful €400 million leveraged buyout of Ipcom, a pan-European supplier of insulation products

  • General Motors on cross-border pensions and UK employment aspects of the sale of its Opel and Vauxhall businesses, along with the GM Financial European automotive financing operations, to the PSA group

  • The Coca-Cola Company on employment and incentives aspects of the combination of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola Iberian Partners, and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke to create the world’s largest independent bottler of Coca-Cola products, including the implementation of a long-term incentive plan for the combined group and advice on the treatment of legacy equity awards

  • American Express on the employment aspects of the formation of a 50/50 joint venture of its Global Business Travel division with an investor group, involving the transfer of over 14,000 employees

  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch on the employment aspects of the sale of its non-U.S. wealth management business to Julius Baer Group Ltd., involving the transfer of over 2,000 employees and approximately $84 billion of assets under management

  • Warburg Pincus and General Atlantic on the employment aspects of their joint acquisition from Banco Santander, S.A. of a 50 percent stake in Santander Asset Management, with the remaining 50 percent to be owned by Banco Santander

  • Warburg Pincus and General Atlantic in a proposed cross-border management equity plan for their joint venture between SAM Investment Holdings Ltd and Unicredit S.P.A.

  • TPG on the employment aspects of its ₤400 million acquisition of TSL Education Group Limited from Charterhouse Capital Partners LLP and in the implementation of a management equity plan

  • TPG in the implementation of a management equity plan by the Prezzo group

  • VizEat in the implementation of a share option plan

  • A major global private equity firm, a major global banking group, a multinational banking and financial services corporation, and a global financial services company in relation to the UK implementation of CRD III/IV remuneration and remuneration disclosure rules

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Selected Activities

Member, the Employment Lawyers Association and the Share Plan Lawyers Group

Publications