Share Options for all Executive plans can be exercised using our Online Option Exercise Service or you can self finance the cost of your option.
Online Option Exercise Service
You can choose to exercise some or all of the options available to you and to sell some or all of the options you have exercised.The instruction is submitted direct to the stockbroker and links with real-time data on your options available for exercise and employment status.
To use this facility, logon to the secure area of the website and follow the options in the left hand menu bar to Exercise Ordinary or ADR Share Options.
The Online Option Exercise Service enables you to choose to sell sufficient shares to cover the exercise cost and any tax and/or social security liabilities for either Ordinary or ADR share options, retaining any share balance. This is sometimes called a Cashless Exercise Facility.
Please see our Questions and Answers for more information.
Ordinary Share Options
If you are exercising and selling some and not all of your Ordinary share options using the Online Option Exercise Service, retained shares will be held in your Sharestore account (UK employees), or issued to you as a Share Certificate (non UK employees).
ADR Share Options
If you retain any shares from an ADR Option exercise, these shares will be transferred to Citibank to be registered in an account in your name on the Direct Registration System (DRS). Further details on DRS are available here. Once your shares are registered Citibank will issue a Direct Registration (DRS) Advice.
For any person who completes a US tax return a copy of your completed W9 will be sent to Citibank to enable your account to be certified. More information can be found on our W9 page.
All other persons who do not complete a US tax return and have shares transferred to the DRS, you will be contacted direct by Citibank requesting that you complete and return an original W8 form. It is important that the W8 is returned to enable your account to be certified. More information can be found on our W8 page.
Please refer to the Equiniti Terms & Conditions for more information.
If you wish to self finance, details of this process can be found here.
Disclaimer
When using the Online Services, you confirm that all information is and will be, to the best of your knowledge and belief, correct when supplied and that you will notify us of any material changes.
In the event that any liability arises as a result of incorrect or inaccurate information provided by you, you understand and accept that you remain liable for any loss or delays that may be encountered as a result of the information that you provide.
It is your sole responsibility to ensure that the instructions you provide accurately reflect your intentions.
In the event of any conflict between the information you provide and the rules of the relevant plan, the plan rules and the applicable legislation will prevail.