Mark is a Partner, specialising in remuneration and employee incentives.
Mark helps clients with executive remuneration and incentives matters. He has established a wide range of cash- and share-based incentive arrangements for listed and private companies and financial services.
Mark advises on the share scheme aspects of corporate transactions, including takeovers, IPOs, rights issues, demergers and schemes of arrangement. He also advises on the remuneration aspects of executive recruitment and termination and financial institutions on the implementation and effect of the FSA's Remuneration Code.
Mark is recognised in the Hall of Fame in the Employee Share Schemes category in Legal 500 UK (2025).
Accolades
"Mark Ife is exceptional – whip smart, pragmatic and gives quick, commercially aware advice. He is a pleasure to partner with." Legal 500 UK 2024
"Mark is very commercially astute, pragmatic and responsive. He provides excellent advice that often challenges our own thinking." Chambers UK 2024
"Mark is client-focused and solution-oriented." Chambers UK 2024
Publications
Mark is the author of Employee Share Schemes published by Bloomsbury Professional; a contributor to Revenue Law – Principles and Practice on the taxation of share plans; and author of the United Kingdom chapter on share plans in Employee Share Plans: International Legal and Tax Issues published by Globe Law and Business.
Background
Mark advises on the share scheme aspects of corporate transactions, including takeovers, IPOs, rights issues, demergers and schemes of arrangement.
He also advises on the remuneration aspects of executive recruitment and termination and financial institutions on the implementation and effect of the FSA's Remuneration Code.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- British American Tobacco on the operation of its various incentive arrangements in more than 100 countries
- Hotel Chocolat, the British chocolate manufacturer and cocoa grower, on all incentives and remuneration aspects of its recommended acquisition by Hive Bidco, Inc., a subsidiary of Mars Inc., including on the treatment of multiple all-employee share offers that had been made
- Kin + Carta, a FTSE-listed digital solutions company, on the share plan aspects of its ongoing takeover process, mitigating potential retention issues and balancing competing bids against its ongoing internal "right sizing" process
- BlueCove, a London-based scientific fixed income manager, on all employee incentives matters since inception, including in relation to its investment and strategic partnership with Ares Management
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