Ocorian has appointed Michelle Merola as business development director, where she will be responsible for accelerating the growth and delivery of the financial services group’s employee incentive services. The group’s employee incentive team provides advisory, administration and legal services for a range of employee benefit programmes, including joint ownership equity plans, long-term incentive plans, company share options plans, management incentive plans and corporate and employee nominee services. Ocorian administers these tailored solutions in employee participation of Financial Times Stock Exchange- and Alternative Investment Market-listed companies, multinational corporations, financial institutions, and smaller private equity-backed companies. In her new role, Merola will work closely with these existing employee incentive plan clients to provide service excellence and proactively develop Ocorian’s private equity client base, as well as extend the firm’s scope of influence with private companies concerning employee benefit trusts. Merola previously served as lead business development manager for new business at YBS Share Plans and compensation specialist at Standard Chartered Bank. Commenting on the appointment, Brendan Dowling, head of employee incentive services at Ocorian, says: “We are delighted to have Michelle onboard to further develop our employee share trust and share plan administration services.” “Such a senior appointment reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering service excellence to our existing clients and in continuing the significant growth we have seen in this area in recent years. We are extremely pleased to welcome Michelle to the Ocorian team.” Merola adds: “I am thrilled to be joining a team that is often cited for its consistency and reputation within the employee incentive scheme space and boasts a large portfolio of impressive client companies.” “This is a thriving sector and Ocorian’s ambitious growth plans, experience and deep commitment to client service give it a prominent place within the marketplace. I am really looking forward to collaborating with our delivery teams, building strong networks with our intermediaries, and establishing new partnerships right across the UK,” she continues.
