As a senior member of King & Wood Mallesons' Employee Relations and Safety team, Daniel provides technically brilliant and commercially sensitive advice across a range of employment related issues. Daniel’s practice encompasses all aspects of the working life cycle, from preparation of executive employment contracts (including advising in connection with incentive schemes), to performance management, dismissal, and enforcement of post-employment obligations. Daniel also provide incisive advice on employment issues arising from complex international merger and acquisition transactions.
Daniel has a particular specialisation in executive remuneration governance within the financial services sector. Having practiced that discipline in the UK for a number of years, Daniel has first-hand experience in advising the world’s largest business in relation to their obligations under remuneration governance and consequence management systems. Daniel regularly advises clients on the establishment and operation of executive remuneration and incentive plans, executive remuneration frameworks in the financial services sector, corporate remuneration governance, and remuneration disclosure and reporting requirements – including through remuneration reports.
Daniel’s key clients include Westpac Banking Corporation, nib, AIA Australia, Insurance Australia Group, Agricultural Bank of China, Russell Group, Macquarie Asset Management, Checkout Australia, Mercer Super Australia, TELUS Agriculture, Bloomfield Collieries, McMillian Shakespeare, Newcastle Greater Mutual Group, and Hilco Australia among others.
Key highlights of Daniel’s experience include:
- Banking Executive Accountability Regime and Financial Accountability Regime implementation for significant financial services clients;
- The implementation of remuneration frameworks for the purposes of APRA’s CPS 511 Remuneration, including in relation to the design and operation of equity and other incentive plans and compulsory remuneration disclosure;
- Conducting accountability reviews arising from matters which may impact significant financial services clients accountability obligations, including advising on governance and accountability matters;
- Structuring senior executive employment contracts and separations;
- Defending companies against bonus claims and disputed exercise of discretion under incentive plans;
- Enforcement of post-employment obligations and restrictions against former employees,
- Employee termination issues and strategy, including in respect of redundancy, adverse action, discrimination and breach of contract issues;
- Wage compliance audit and remediation processes, and advising boards about wage compliance risk and the systems and controls to mitigate those risks; and
- Various other employment issues, such as modern award coverage, and determination of employee entitlements.
