Private Company Equity Compensation Summit

Private Company Equity Compensation Summit

San Francisco | May 21, 2026

Agenda      |      Location      |      Rates      |     Speakers     |     Continuing Ed 

Agenda • Location • Rates • Speakers

Continuing Ed

Navigating Private Company Equity with Confidence

Leading a late-stage or IPO-ready company? Join us for an essential summit designed to equip private company leaders and equity professionals with the strategies and insights needed to navigate today's complex equity compensation landscape.

This one-day event brings together industry experts to address the critical challenges facing growth-stage companies—from cap table management and liquidity planning to employee engagement and securities compliance. We'll also highlight key insights and benchmarks from the 2026 Private Company Equity Compensation Survey, brought to you by the NASPP, Pave, and the Certified Equity Professional Institute.

Whether you're preparing for an IPO, managing secondary transactions, or keeping your team motivated through extended private status, you'll gain actionable guidance to strengthen your equity strategy.

Who should attend:

CFOs, founders, corporate counsel, compensation professionals, and other key decision-makers at Series C+ and IPO-ready companies.

 

Agenda Overview

Networking

Evening Networking Reception

June 5, 2024  | 5PM - 9PM
 
Kick things off with a mix and mingle among your fellow attendees, speakers, and chapter leadership to break the ice and build relationships.
 
📍 Tavola da Siena Restaurant
400 Putnam Pike
Smithfield, RI 02917
Audience

All-Day Education Summit

June 6, 2024  |  8AM - 5PM

Explore trending topics as equity's experts provide time-saving insights, best practices, and other invaluable guidance to help you navigate the complexities of stock compensation. 

📍 Fidelity Investments
900 Salem Street
Smithfield, RI 02917
 

Wed, June 5, 2024

Evening Networking Reception

5:00 - 9:00 PM

Thurs, June 6, 2024

NASPP New England Summit

8:00 - 9:00 AM
9:00 - 9:30 AM
9:30 - 10:30 AM
General Session 1
10:30 - 11:00 AM
11:00 - 11:50 AM
Break-Out Session 2A
11:00 - 11:50 AM
Break-Out Session 2B
11:50 AM - 12:40 PM
12:40 - 1:30 PM
Break-Out Session 3A
12:40 - 1:30 PM
Break-Out Session 3B
1:30 - 1:40 PM
1:40 - 2:40 PM
Break-Out Session 4A
1:40 - 2:40 PM
Break-Out Session 4B
2:40 - 3:15 PM
3:15 - 3:30 PM
3:30 - 4:30 PM
General Session 5
4:30 - 5:00 PM

Thursday, May 21

9:00 - 9:40 AM
Registration, Networking, and Breakfast
9:40 - 10:20 AM
Keynote: The AI-Era IPO Playbook: What It Now Takes to Go Public

Discover how AI-era market dynamics are reshaping investor expectations and IPO valuations for late-stage companies. You'll learn what it takes to go public with confidence, why software and AI businesses face heightened scrutiny, and how to align your capital access, timing, and employee equity strategy for success in the public markets.

 

Presenters:

  • Michal Lev-Ram, Morgan Stanley
  • Steve Liu, Morgan Stanley at Work
  • Rohan Mehra, Morgan Stanley
  • Erik Peña, NYSE
10:20 - 10:30 AM
Break
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Cap Table Clarity: From Seed to S-1

Your cap table is the foundation for valuations, liquidity events, and public disclosures as you scale toward IPO readiness. Learn how to build administrative and accounting rigor into your cap table management—from transaction processing and GL reconciliations to internal controls that keep your data audit-ready and defensible under legal and audit scrutiny.

 

Presenters:

  • Vishnu Boorla, Qapita
  • Vikki La, Roblox Corporation
  • Geetika Prasad, Tanium
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Lunch

Roundtable: Solving the "Path Wealth" Problem

Keep your employees motivated when the IPO timeline stretches years ahead. Explore equity plan strategies and communication strategies that maintain engagement when equity awards feel theoretical.

 

Moderator:

  • Kristina Bolling, Rubrik

Roundtable: Employee Culture & Communication During IPO

Navigate the cultural and communication challenges of taking your company public. Discover how to prepare employees, manage expectations, and maintain morale through the IPO transition.

 

Moderator:

  • Deidre Salisbury, Infinite Equity

Roundtable: Adopting AI with a Lean Team

Learn how small equity teams are successfully implementing AI tools. Get practical strategies for automation, efficiency gains, and responsible AI adoption when resources are limited.

 

Moderator:

  • Anna Sotnikova, xAI
12:45 - 1:45 PM
Navigating Private-Market Liquidity: Tender Offers, Secondaries & IPO Strategy

Discover how liquidity planning shapes your equity compensation design, valuation, and employee communications. You'll explore current tender offer and secondary-liquidity trends, learn governance and pricing considerations, and understand how shifting IPO conditions influence your transition from private to public equity programs.

 

Presenter:

  • Erin Connolly, Morgan Stanley
  • Emiley Jellie, Morgan Stanley
  • Victoria Stratton, Databricks
1:45 - 2:00 PM
Break
2:00 - 2:45 PM
Awards, Eligibility & Liquidity: Inside the Latest Private Company Equity Data

Get exclusive expert insights on private company equity compensation practices from the latest survey data conducted jointly by the NASPP, Certified Equity Professional Institute, and Pave. Discover how peers structure awards, eligibility, and vesting—and tackle liquidity challenges head-on. Walk away with benchmarks and data-driven insights you can put to work immediately.

 

Presenter:

  • Barbara Baksa, NASPP
2:45 - 3:00 PM
Break
3:00 - 3:45 PM
Securities Law Essentials: Avoiding Common Pitfalls on the Path to IPO

Get the securities law framework you need to navigate from private company to public offering. Experienced inside and outside counsel reveal the most common legal gotchas approaching an IPO and how to avoid them before they become problems.

 

Presenters:

  • Jessica Annis, Canva
  • Brandon Gantus, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
  • David Thomas, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
3:45 - 6:00 PM
Networking Reception

Note: Session details are subject to change

 

Location

 

221 Main Street, 4th Floor,
San Francisco, CA

 

Location

 

221 Main Street, 4th Floor,
San Francisco, CA

 

Registration Rates

NASPP Members
$99
 
 
Non-Members
$149
 
You will be prompted to create an account

Interested in NASPP Membership? Explore the benefits and options here.

Agenda   |   Speakers   |   Rates   |   Accommodations   |   Sponsors   |   Continuing Ed   |   Download Session Materials

Speakers

General Session 1

Unleashing the Transformative Power of GenAI in the World of Equity: Fostering a Culture of Experimentation and Creativity

Haley Houston, PwC
Haley Houston is a director in PwC’s Boston-based Workforce Transformation practice. She has more than 8 years of experience helping clients address complex organization transformation challenges, driven by disruption from digitization, regulation, business model changes, and cost pressures.

Haley partners extensively with PwC’s Cloud & Digital, Transformation Operations and Customer Transformation practices to help Fortune 500 clients navigate complex process- and technology-driven business transformations. Leveraging design thinking and agile principles Haley leads change management programs that help clients through their 'stickiest' change challenges. These programs include facilitating leadership alignment, vison setting, employee engagement and upskilling and measurement/benefits tracking around change management.

Before joining PwC, Haley served in Business Develop and Marketing roles with firms in the professional services sector including legal, consulting, and engineering.

Haley has a B.A. from Roger Williams University (cum laude) where she was a member of the International Honors Society - Phi Alpha Theta and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University, with a focus in Entrepreneurship and International Business.
Sharmon Priaulx, PwC
Sharmon Priaulx is a managing director in PwC’s Boston-based Workforce Transformation practice. She practices in the area of executive compensation and other employee benefits. Sharmon consults with boards and management on the development and technical operation of qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation plans and equity arrangements. She also advises on general tax matters that arise in the compensation area, such as fringe benefits, qualified retirement plans and related payroll issues. Her clients include public and private companies, financial services entities and multinational groups.

Prior to joining PwC, Sharmon practiced at a national law firm, advising clients on retirement, equity and employee benefit plans. Sharmon has been a law school guest lecturer and speaks at seminars on topics ranging from deferred compensation compliance to payroll issues.

Sharmon has a B.A. from Columbia University, Barnard College and a J.D. (cum laude) from Villanova School of Law, where she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and the Order of the Coif. She is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.
Break-Out Session 2A

How do you 'roll? A Deep Dive into
How Refining Payroll Integration Can Streamline Processes

Brooke Anderson, CEP, Charles Schwab
Brooke Anderson is a Client Service Manager, Stock Plan Services and member of the Workplace Financial Services organization at Charles Schwab & Co.

For 25 years, Brooke’s primary focus has been client-facing equity compensation administration and education. Prior to joining Schwab, she worked with both public and private companies at Certent/Insightsoftware, and held various roles at Transcentive/Computershare before that. Her background also includes project management and relationship management.

Brooke is a Certified Equity Professional.
Christine Consolato, CPA, Market Axess
Christine Consolato is Head of Compensation Accounting & Policy at MarketAxess. In this role, she oversees the global payroll, equity administration and compensation accounting functions for the firm. Prior to joining MarketAxess, She worked in both public and private company roles at leading financial services firms including ExodusPoint, TPG, Evercore, and KPMG.
Jennifer Francis, CEP, Aon
Jen Francis is a Director with Aon Talent Solutions communications practice, specializing in employee education, video creation and print communications in the stock plan and total rewards space. Jen started in the industry in 2000 working with software service providers and the NASPP. During her career she has worked in several areas including: consulting, training, product strategy and product management.

Jen has been a speaker at the NASPP Annual Conference, the CEP Symposium, GEO conference, service provider user conferences, and local NASPP chapter meetings.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Central Connecticut State University, and graduate degrees in Management and Business Administration from Albertus Magnus College. Jen earned her CEP designation in November 2005 and is a volunteer for the Certified Equity Professional Institute (CEPI), serving on the certification council for CEP Institute, and serves as the Treasurer for the CT NASPP Chapter.
Break-Out Session 2B

CTRA Presents – Best Practices in
Compensation Benchmarking

Vlad Gogish, Mercer
Vlad Gogish is a Senior Principal in Mercer’s Career Practice and consults on human capital issues, including rewards, talent strategy, and functional transformation. He holds an MBA in Finance and Economics from NYU and a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell.
Sophie Harpt, Mercer
Sophie is a Senior Analyst at Mercer. She helps clients design and benchmark competitive compensation programs for executive and broad-based rewards. She has a BS in Economics from Santa Clara University.
 

Our Speakers

Jessica Annis, Canva
Senior Legal Counsel; Jessica leads corporate governance at Canva, drawing on prior experience at Gunderson Dettmer, Gibson Dunn, and Salesforce advising on capital markets and public offerings.
Barbara Baksa, NASPP

Executive Director; Barbara leads the NASPP and brings 20+ years in equity compensation, authoring Accounting for Equity Compensation—a required text for the CEP exam—and serving on the CEP Institute Curriculum Committee and Advisory Board at Santa Clara University.

Kristina Bolling, Rubrik
 
Vishnu Boorla, Qapita
Head of Product; Vishnu leads Qapita's equity and fund administration platforms with 20+ years in software, driving cap table, liquidity, and private market product strategy globally.
Erin Connolly, Morgan Stanley at Work
Executive Director, Issuer Strategy & Excellence; Erin founded and leads Morgan Stanley at Work's Issuer Strategy & Excellence team, guiding late-stage companies through IPOs, direct listings, and complex stock plan transformations since 2021.
Brandon Gantus, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Partner, Employee Benefits & Compensation Practice; Brandon co-leads Wilson Sonsini's compensation practice, advising on equity programs, M&A, and IPO transactions including DoorDash, Lyft, Dropbox, and Samsara.
Vikki La, Roblox
Director of Equity Administration; A CEP since 2007, Vikki brings 15+ years of stock plan management across public and pre-IPO companies, currently overseeing equity administration and reporting at Roblox.
Michal Lev-Ram, Morgan Stanley
Executive Editor; Michal leads content strategy for EDGE within Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking and Capital Markets division, drawing on 15+ years at Fortune as Editor-at-Large and Editorial Director of Live Events, and prior on-air commentary work at CNBC.
Steve Liu, Morgan Stanley at Work
Head of Valuation Services, Private Markets; Steve leads Morgan Stanley at Work's Private Markets Valuation group, with prior valuation and advisory roles at SVB Analytics, Deloitte, and KPMG.
Rohan Mehra, Morgan Stanley
Managing Director, Technology Investment Banking; Rohan has spent 18 years at Morgan Stanley advising AI and software companies, with recent transactions including CoreWeave's IPO and offerings for Airbnb and DoorDash.
Erik Peña, NYSE
Head of Market Development; Erik's career spans venture investing, M&A, investment banking, and strategy consulting across enterprise technology, SaaS, fintech, and life sciences.
Geetika Prasad, Tanium
Director of Stock Admin & Accounting; A CPA and CEP, Geetika oversees Tanium's global equity program and serves on advisory boards for CEPI and Shareworks, and as NASPP San Francisco Chapter President.
Deidre Salisbury, Infinite Equity
Anna Sotnikova, xAI
Victoria Statton, Databricks
Senior Manager of Equity Administration; Victoria oversees end-to-end equity operations at Databricks, driving automation and compliance across global stock plans, with prior experience managing global equity programs at Uber and Morgan Stanley.
David Thomas, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Partner; An inaugural NASPP Distinguished Equity Fellow, David has advised on equity and benefits for nearly 30 years and represented issuers in 34 IPOs raising over $10.6 billion.


Continuing Education


Certified Equity Professionals (CEPs) may earn continuing education credits for attendance. The number of possible credits will be available upon publication of the full agenda. CEPs must keep their own records of their attendance, including the specific sessions attended, so they can report this information to the CEP Institute when required.

Thanks to Our Chapter Officers

We would like to thank our San Francisco chapter officers for their efforts making this event possible.

San Francisco Chapter
Geetika Prasad (President)
Jennifer Kirk
Joshua McGinn
Deidre Salisbury
Dan Schwab
Anna Sotnikova
Donna Spinola
Adam Stein
Christine Zwerling
Thanks to Our Chapter Officers

We would like to thank our San Francisco chapter officers for their efforts making this event possible.

San Francisco Chapter
Geetika Prasad (President)
Jennifer Kirk
Joshua McGinn
Deidre Salisbury
Dan Schwab
Anna Sotnikova
Donna Spinola
Adam Stein
Christine Zwerling

Presenting Sponsor

Morgan Stanley at Work

Event Sponsor

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