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Key people at Solium.
Solium, now Shareworks by Morgan Stanley, provides cloud-based software and services for employee equity compensation administration. Its platform manages stock options, restricted stock units, and other equity awards for companies. It streamlines plan design, accounting, global tax reporting, and compliance, offering a complete solution for complex equity programs.
Founded in 1999 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, by financial advisors John Kenny and Mark Van Hees, Solium addressed a critical market need. They recognized demand for specialized, efficient tools to administer complex employee equity programs, vital compensation components. Morgan Stanley acquired Solium in 2019, integrating its operations.
Shareworks by Morgan Stanley serves diverse corporate clients, from startups to multinational enterprises, for expert equity plan administration. Its vision is to deliver comprehensive workplace financial solutions. The company empowers businesses in talent retention by integrating equity management with broader financial wellness services, fostering employee financial security.
Solium Capital Inc., now operating as Shareworks by Morgan Stanley, is a SaaS company specializing in equity administration, financial reporting, and compliance for public and private companies.[1][2][4][5] It provides cloud-based platforms like Shareworks and Transcentive to manage equity plans—including stock options, restricted stock awards, employee share purchase plans, cap tables, 409A valuations, and compensation planning—serving corporations, their employees, and investors globally.[2][3][4][5] Headquartered in Calgary, Canada, with offices in the US, UK, Europe, and Australia, it supports ~3,000 clients by simplifying complex equity management, tax compliance, and stakeholder engagement, solving the problem of fragmented equity tracking in growing businesses.[1][4][5]
Post-acquisition by Morgan Stanley in 2019 for ~$900 million USD (CAD$1.1 billion), Solium has integrated into Morgan Stanley's Workplace Wealth Solutions, enhancing stock plan administration with wealth management tools like 401(k)s and financial wellness portals.[1][3][4] This has fueled growth by targeting younger demographics early in wealth accumulation and expanding B2B access to corporate clients.[1]
Solium Capital was founded in 1999 in Calgary, Canada, by financial advisers John Kenny and Mark Van Hees, who identified the need for streamlined equity plan management amid rising stock option usage.[4] It went public via IPO on the TSX Venture Exchange in 2001, securing early clients like TransAlta, Encana Corp., and Shell Canada, and achieved profitability by 2004.[4]
Key milestones include the 2010 acquisition of Computershare's Transcentive business (adding Express Options software), 2012 purchase of CapMx from Silicon Valley Bank, 2017 deals for Capshare and UBS white-labeling, and 2018 acquisition of Advanced-HR for compensation tools.[4] The pivotal 2019 acquisition by Morgan Stanley—announced February 2019 at CAD$19.15 per share, a 40% premium—rebranded it as Shareworks, with CEO Marcos Lopez retained in Calgary.[1][3][4]
Solium rides the equity compensation boom in tech and startups, where stock options and RSUs are standard for talent retention amid cash constraints and remote work.[3][4] Timing aligns with private market growth—pre-IPO firms need robust cap table tools as valuations soar—fueled by low-interest eras (pre-2022) and fintech digitization.[1][3]
Market forces like regulatory complexity (e.g., IRC 409A) and employee demands for transparency favor Solium's SaaS model over legacy systems.[2][5] As a Morgan Stanley subsidiary, it influences the ecosystem by bridging workplace equity to lifelong wealth management, enabling firms like startups to offer competitive perks while feeding data into broader financial services.[1][3] This positions it against rivals like Carta in a $10B+ equity management market, amplifying Alberta's tech hub status alongside exits like Benevity.[3]
Morgan Stanley's integration will drive Shareworks toward an all-in-one workplace wealth platform, expanding AI-enhanced personalization, global reach (e.g., China offices), and fintech partnerships.[1][5] Trends like tokenized equity, ESG-linked plans, and Gen Z wealth entry will shape growth, with potential for acquisitions in HR tech or crypto compliance.[3][4]
Influence may evolve from niche admin to ecosystem orchestrator, powering "financial wellness" for millions—tying back to Solium's origins in simplifying equity for everyday employees now scaled globally via Wall Street muscle.[1][4]
Key people at Solium.
