Emma Wayland

Emma advises on general matters including global employment strategy and cross-border workforce issues, as well as general employment matters such as contracts, redundancies, executive exits, disputes, TUPE transfers, and policy development.

• Advised on a cross-border redundancy exercise involving 20 countries including communication and execution strategy.
• Strategic advice on the dismissal of the CEO of a high-profile private-equity backed company and the immediate appointment of a replacement, including managing potential reputational risk and interpreting the leaver provisions of the investment agreement.
• Drafted a new handbook for staff and members of a barristers’ chambers.
• Defended a complex discrimination claim against a life sciences company.
• Advised a household-name retail brand on the recruitment of a new CEO, her remuneration package including bonus and equity and her relocation to the UK.
• Advised a private equity investor on the employment aspects of their acquisition of a UK-wide restaurant chain including advice on restrictive covenants post-closing conflicts of interest.
• Advised a global investment bank on the employment aspects of the termination of its office lease.
• Advised a FMCG client on its day-to-day employment matters including a collective redundancy exercise with trade union involvement.
• Provided training to a household name PLC in the FMCG industry.
• Advised on a complex investigation process into fraudulent use of staff benefits by employees at a well-known multinational business.

Emma advises on the employment aspects of corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, outsourcing, and cross-border restructurings, drafting employment provisions and managing TUPE issues in complex, multi-jurisdictional deals.

• Advised a private equity investor on the employment aspects of their acquisition of a UK-wide restaurant chain including advice on restrictive covenants post-closing conflicts of interest.
• Advised a media/tech company on a cross-border restructure including coordinating the timing and announcement issues that flow from involving a number of different European countries with different rules.
• Advised a private equity investor on the employment aspects of the acquisition of a laser light technology company including drafting and negotiating new employment agreements for the senior management team.

Emma advises technology companies on all employment matters, including executive exits, restructures, TUPE issues, hybrid working, cross-border operations, and day-to-day employee relations, drawing on in-house experience at leading global tech businesses.

• Acted as in-house counsel at technology companies including Synopsys, PayPal and Cloudflare, advising on all day-to-day employment matters such as employee relations, absence management, grievances and disciplinary issues and harmonising terms and conditions.
• Coordinated the implementation of a hybrid working strategy across EMEA for a global tech company.
• Negotiated and handled a sensitive senior executive exit from a private equity-backed tech company including advice on the settlement agreement, departure package, garden leave, equity and restrictive covenants.
• Assisted an Asia-based tech company with closing down its UK operations and defending subsequent claims for discrimination and unfair dismissal.
• Advised a media/tech company on a cross-border restructure including coordinating the timing and announcement issues that flow from involving a number of different European countries with different rules.
• Advised a private equity investor on the employment aspects of the acquisition of a laser light technology company including drafting and negotiating new employment agreements for the senior management team.
• Advised a software and supply chain management company on its purchase of a delivery storage solutions company as a carve-out of a public company seller, including extensive advice, negotiation and drafting around the TUPE implications.
• General day-to-day employment advice to Silicon Frontline Technology (UK) Limited, known as Black Duck.
• Advising Synopsys on day-to-day UK employment matters. Synopsys is a tech company headquartered in California with over 13,000 employees.
• Advising ThoughtSpot, an AI-powered data analytics company, on its day-to-day UK employment matters.

Emma has over 20 years’ experience advising a broad range of employers in the financial services sector including investment banks insurance companies, and PayPal. This includes advice on employment agreements, senior executive exits, restrictive covenants, redundancies, and employee relations matters.

• Advised various individuals employed by a global bank (on the instruction of the bank) on the post-termination restrictions in their employment contracts and LTIPs.
• Advised an investment bank on investigating and responding to a complex employee grievance including a report to the regulator.
• Assisted British Business Bank with its HR strategy.
• Worked for PayPal to draft and implement employment policies across EMEA.
• Advised an insurance company on a disciplinary issue including bullying and harassment and the regulatory implications arising from this.

Member of the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA)