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Meet Our Professionals

Michel Vanesse

Partner
Charlotte | 704.335.9040
Fax | 704.334.4706

Michel Vanesse advises clients on all aspects of employee benefits and executive compensation. He also counsels clients on the design, maintenance, and termination of qualified and non-qualified plans, performance-based and equity-based compensation, and all forms of executive compensation arrangements. Those include employment agreements, change-in-control agreements, and termination agreements, including in the private equity context.

Michel has represented public and privately held companies but also not-for-profit and governmental organizations, particularly in the health care industry. In that capacity, He regularly provides advice on the design and operation of 403(b) and 457 plans.

In addition, Michel serves as an advisor in economic diplomacy for Belgium. The consul general of Belgium in Atlanta nominated Michel based on Michel’s knowledge of the social, economic, and financial environment in both the U.S. and Belgium. Michel was born and grew up in Brussels, Belgium.

Representative Experience

  • Assisted a financial institution in the redesign of its qualified and non-qualified plans.
  • Assisted multiple publicly and privately held companies in 409A compliance, both domestically and internationally.
  • Advised several health systems in the establishment and maintenance of benefit plans, including 457 plans.
  • Represented the management team of an energy company on all benefits and executive compensation issues relating to a leveraged buyout; represented the same energy company on benefits and executive compensation issues during the subsequent IPO.
  • Represented clients with respect to the correction of documentary and operational failures in qualified and non-qualified 409A-covered plans.
  • Negotiated and drafted severance packages for members of management team of a retail company.
  • Advised clients on compliance with sections 162 (m) and 280G of the Internal Revenue Code (deductibility of executive compensation and parachute payments).
  • Represented privately held company before the Department of Labor in an ESOP audit.

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Honors & Awards

  • Advisor in Economic Diplomacy for Belgium, 2022-present

Memberships

  • French-American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) Carolinas, Board of Directors, 2019-present
  • National Association of Stock Plan Professionals