Global Benefits Conference
Shaping for Change
May 13-14, 2025 | San Jose
Learn | Explore | Network
Explore two parallel tracks and click on the buttons below to access the agenda details.
Conference Sessions
Day 1 - May 13
8:15 AM - 9:00 AM
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM
Breakfast and Networking
2025 Global Benefits Conference: Shaping for Change
Welcome!
Speaker Details
Full Name
Lisa Yee
Job Title
President and CEO
Company
Silicon Valley Employers Forum
Biography
Lisa Yee is the President and CEO of SVEF, based in Northern California, leads and engages with employers and partners to drive change in global benefits. She enjoys spending time with her family and two rescue dogs, Daisy & Gryffin, volunteering with animal rescue organizations, traveling, and baking.
9:10 AM - 9:55 AM
Brands: Why They Matter and How to Build Them Globally
Presented by AMD and Segal Benz
Just like mass marketers have long understood the importance of strong brand identities, organizations that value their people, culture and benefits invest in internal brands too. Internal brands help to garner employees’ attention and ultimately better engage them in your programs.
Dana Shay, Director of Global Benefits at AMD, and Bridget O’Meara, VP at Segal Benz, will speak about how they led the implementation of a new global Total Rewards brand, tightly aligned with their external brand, across over 35 countries and 30,000 employees. They will share how AMD’s internal brand was created and initially introduced through a revamp of their Total Rewards SharePoint site. You’ll learn how the brand supported and enhanced strategic campaigns including U.S. benefits enrollment, the value of using time-off benefits and recharging, and most recently on communications introducing a new, global mental health provider.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Dana Shay
Job Title
Director of Global Benefits
Company
AMD
Biography
Speaker Details
Full Name
Bridget O'Meara
Job Title
Vice President and Senior Consultant
Company
Segal Benz
Biography
Bridget has nearly 30 years of experience in strategic employee communications. As an award-winning communicator, she’s passionate about providing employees and their families with simplified, easily digestible communications that helps them improve their physical, emotional and financial health. At Segal Benz she currently works with Sandia National Laboratories, University of Idaho, AMD, and several multi-employer clients. Between stints at Segal Benz, Bridget worked with The Boeing Company for more than 12 years communicating the company’s employee benefits, with an emphasis on well-being communications. Bridget also founded and oversees all marcom work for The Mend a Heart Foundation, a non-profit supporting children born with congenital heart defects.
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
Employee Values vs. Employer Priorities
Presented by Aon
Insights from our recent study indicate that employers are falling short of of their employees expectations. This session will cover how employers can adapt and better align with organizational and workforce needs to help attract and retain the workforce they need.
10:40 AM - 10:55 AM
Networking Break and Vendor Showcase
11:00 AM - 11:40 AM
Employer only breakout sessions
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
Networking Lunch and Vendor Showcase
1:05 PM - 1:45 PM
Measuring Caregiver Health for Savings
Presented by Cleo
Nearly three-quarters of the workforce are caregivers in some capacity, balancing work with caregiving responsibilities. As the population continues to age, this number will only rise. How can employers address this challenge? This presentation will explore strategies for employers to reshape their benefits offerings, leverage a population health framework to improve overall well-being, utilize a comprehensive benefits ecosystem, and transform their strategy into one that delivers measurable ROI.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Madhavi Vemireddy
Job Title
Chief Executive Officer
Company
Cleo
Biography
Madhavi Vemireddy, MD is Cleo’s CEO, she has oversight of clinical and product strategy, product development, program outcomes, member operations, business intelligence and marketing teams. She previously served as Cleo’s Chief Clinical Officer. Madhavi is board-certified in Internal Medicine and has over 20 years of experience in advanced clinical analytics, population health programs, and digital health products. Madhavi joined Cleo through the CareTribe acquisition, where she was the cofounder and COO. At CareTribe, Madhavi applied her population health experience and her personal journey of caregiving for her eldest son to support family caregivers, irrespective of age or condition. Prior to CareTribe, Madhavi was Chief Medical Officer and Head of Product at ActiveHealth Management and Head of Program Design for Aetna Care Management (both CVS Health companies), where she led the development of digital health products, evidence-based analytics and services that served over 22 million Americans.
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
Food is Medicine: Harnessing Technology and Innovation for Employee Health
Presented by Kaiser
With the prevalence of chronic conditions and rising healthcare costs, employers are seeking impactful strategies to enhance employee health and productivity while managing expenses. This session will explore the transformative potential of “Food is Medicine” programs, which emphasize the role of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. Discover how innovative technologies and data-driven insights are revolutionizing the implementation of Food is Medicine programs, leading to more effective interventions and improved workforce health and business outcomes.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Pamela Schwartz, MPH
Job Title
Executive Director, Community Health
Company
Kaiser
Biography
2:35 PM - 2:50 PM
Networking Break and Vendor Showcase
2:50 PM - 3:30 PM
Global Wellbeing: Standards, Data, Impact
Presented by NVIDIA and Inflection
Discover how leading organizations are revolutionizing employee benefits by addressing global minimum standards. This session dives into the real data driving real outcomes, tackling crucial topics like menopause, family-building, and managing loss. Inflection’s co-founder, Jake Anderson, will guide you through the strategies that are shaping the future of employee well-being, providing actionable insights to elevate engagement, boost retention, and create a future-proof benefits strategy that helps close health disparity gaps across the globe. This session reveals how trailblazing companies are harnessing data to create meaningful employee outcomes through global minimum standards. We’ll explore globally impactful yet locally managed issues, from menopause and divorce to family-building and loss.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Jim Ingolia
Job Title
Global Benefits Lead
Company
NVIDIA
Biography
Jim joined NVIDIA in 2020. Prior to NVIDIA, he worked at WTW both on the East Coast and in the Bay Area, consulting with large employers on various strategic initiatives. Originally from the Philadelphia area, he now resides in San Francisco.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Jake Anderson-Bialis
Job Title
Co-founder
Company
Inflection
Biography
Jake is the co-founder of Inflection, a global digital education platform that deliver
expert fertility, reproductive health, and family-building information to diverse users in 70+ countries and regions. Inflection was founded in 2015 and has been an important pillar in employers' global well-being offerings. Jake is a resident of New Zealand and the United States. He is a member of fertility societies in Europe (ESHRE), Asia (ASPIRE) and is on the guideline committee for the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). He oversees Inflection's global course-building initiatives in 5 countries/regions and speaks both Russian and English. Jake is an expert speaker on the topic of diverse family-building, and he has hosted multiple events with the Human Rights Campaign(HRC) In April, Jake hosted an executive discussion on the new Corporate Equality Index criterion alongside HRC with a few hundred participants.
He is a graduate of Duke University (BA, Russian Studies, summa cum laude) and Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar, top 5% of class).
He is a proud father of 3 children, and 10+ year member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
3:35 PM - 4:15 PM
Supporting Women with Holistic Benefits
Presented by Progyny
In today’s evolving healthcare landscape, organizations must rethink their approach to women’s health by developing comprehensive benefit strategies that address access, quality of care, and coverage complexities. For example, while 50% to 80% of women with pelvic floor pain have endometriosis, it often remains undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years, with an accurate diagnosis taking up to eleven years from the onset of symptoms.
In this session, attendees will learn more about:
- The unique health challenges women face, from reproductive health to chronic conditions, and the importance of specialized care in meeting these challenges head-on.
- Common pain points and knowledge gaps in the member experience when dealing with complex health conditions, leading to long-term health risks and increased claims impact.
- How to integrate expert support in key areas with lifestyle initiatives to create a robust framework that empowers women to take charge of their health.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Dr. Janet Choi
Job Title
Chief Medical Officer
Company
Progyny
Biography
Dr. Janet Choi is a highly ranked board-certified REI, bringing over 2 decades of clinical expertise in fertility and family building. Dr. Choi has published and lectured extensively on infertility, onco-fertility, and fertility preservation. She is a member of ASRM, ACOG, and the NY Obstetrical Society. She earned her medical degree and completed her residency at Columbia University and completed her REI fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College.
4:15 PM - 4:20 PM
Closing remarks
Speaker Details
Full Name
Barbara Thompson
Job Title
Director
Company
Silicon Valley Employers Forum
Biography
Barbara Thompson, Director, based in Northern California, leads SVEF's data analytics & insights and strategic planning. She has held various roles in global and US benefits. She enjoys time with family and friends, reading, exploring hiking trails in her hometown, and is an avid animal lover.
4:20 PM - 6:00 PM
Networking Reception
Generative AI: Transforming HR and EX
Opening by BrightPlan
Generative AI is leading the charge in transforming HR practices for both teams and employees in 2025. Building on our collaboration with Stripe at SVEF last year, where we unveiled insights from the Financial Wellness Barometer Survey, highlighting the increasing expectation among global employees for employers to support their financial well-being. As generative AI continues to gain momentum, employees now demand highly personalized financial guidance, tailored to local regulations and available when they need it. This presents a significant challenge for lean HR teams tasked with enhancing wellness strategies to boost employee productivity, engagement, and retention.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Joelle Vail
Job Title
Chief Revenue Officer
Company
Brightplan
Biography
Joelle leads the direct sales, partnership and client success teams for BrightPlan. Joelle has a track record of successfully scaling organizations from startup to enterprise, taking early-stage companies to over $100 million in revenue and enterprises from $100 million to $2 billion in revenue. Most recently, Joelle was Chief Operating Officer for Capital Factory and has also held senior level and executive positions at Paychex and Ascentis.
Day 2 - May 14
8:15 AM - 9:00 AM
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM
Breakfast and Networking
2025 Global Benefits Conference: Shaping for Change
Welcome!
Speaker Details
Full Name
Christi Williams
Job Title
Associate Director
Company
Silicon Valley Employers Forum
Biography
Christi Williams, Associate Director, based in Northern California, leads Marketing and Communications initiatives with an emphasis on events, member services, and strategic and innovation partners. She brings diverse experience in technology, health care, and financial services to this role. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling and spending quality time with her family.
9:10 AM - 9:50 AM
Workplace Wellbeing
Presented by Flutter and Benefex
Listen to Gethin Nadin speak with Flutter on the key issues impacting workplace wellbeing. Gethin is an award-winning psychologist who has been helping some of the world’s largest organizations to improve their employee experience and wellbeing for more than two decades. In 2023 he was named as the World’s Most Influential HR Thinker by HR Magazine and UK Mental Health Campaigner of the Year 2023.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Elaine O’Donnell
Job Title
Director of Benefits & Reward Projects
Company
Flutter
Biography
Elaine O’Donnell is a seasoned reward leader with over 15 years of experience in compensation and benefits. Currently serving as the Director of Benefits & Reward Projects for Flutter Functions and having lead Reward across several Divisions within Flutter Entertainment Plc, Elaine has significant expertise in leading reward strategies in complex matrixed environments. Elaine has been instrumental in shaping and executing the company's reward strategy alongside driving strategic projects to ensure alignment of benefits and reward systems to Flutter’s organisational goals.
In her current role, Elaine’s key focus has been to accelerate the roll out of Benefex’s OneHub platform across the Group whilst leveraging Flutter’s size and scale to identify and deliver value to the Flutter Divisions.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Gethin Nadin
Job Title
Chief Innovation Officer
Company
Benefex
Biography
Gethin is an award-winning psychologist who has been helping some of the world’s largest organisations to improve their employee experience and wellbeing for more than two decades. In 2023 he was named as the world’s Most Influential HR Thinker by HR Magazine and UK Mental Health Campaigner of the Year 2023.
As a frequent writer and speaker on employee experience and employee wellbeing, Gethin has been featured in Forbes, The Guardian, The Sun, The Huffington Post and The Financial Times as well as all major HR, Reward and Pensions publications. Gethin has been named as one of the world’s top Global Employee Experience Influencers in 2021, 2022 and 2023, an IW Inspiring Leader 2021 and named #2 HR Personality of the Year 2023. Gethin is also a regular keynote speaker, Ex-Chair of the UK Government-backed Engage for Success Wellbeing Thought Action Group, a Wellbeing Advisor to Investors In People, a Fellow at the RSA and a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee on the Future of Employability, frequently meeting with and presenting to members of the UK Parliament.
In 2018, Gethin published his first book - the award-winning HR bestseller ‘A World of Good: Lessons From Around the World in Improving the Employee Experience’, which has gone on to inspire HR and Reward teams at some of the world’s best known brands. In 2022, Gethin co-authored his second book ‘Das Menschliche Büro - The Human(e) Office’ a collaboration between leading academics and workplace professionals from across Europe.
In late 2022, Gethin published his third book, 'A Work In Progress: Unlocking Wellbeing to Create More Sustainable and Resilient Organisations' which reached the top of the UK bestseller list on its day of release. As part of the book’s global launch, Gethin went on a tour of the UK and Ireland with Ruby Wax OBE to highlight the importance of supporting mental health in the workplace.
9:55 AM - 10:40 AM
Operationalizing Whole Health: From Vision to Reality
Presented by Elevance
Learn how Elevance Health is successfully operationalizing their whole health approach. This session will detail the practical steps they’ve taken, defining whole health and focusing on the use of measurement tools, research-based best practices, and collaborative strategies that have integrated whole health into their operations. Discover actionable insights that can help you leverage similar methods to improve health.
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Networking Break and Vendor Showcase
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM
Employer only breakout sessions
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
Networking Lunch and Vendor Showcase
12:45 PM - 1:25 PM
Presented by Johnson & Johnson
Coming soon
1:30 PM - 2:10 PM
AI + Member Engagement in Cardiometabolic Health
Presented by Cisco Systems and Teladoc Health
Most people are familiar with AI-driven recommendations when it comes to streaming shows and social media algorithms. How effective are these recommendations when it comes to driving behavior change to improve cardiometabolic health? In this session, experts will share how precise [successful] AI models are becoming when it comes to virtual care management programs for people for diabetes and heart health, and what to look for when evaluating a cardiometabolic program for your organization.
Key takeaways:
- How AI models work to enhance member engagement in cardiometabolic care programs.
- Outcomes observed.
- Key indicators to ensure AI models are trustworthy, secure, and used responsibly.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Scott Floyd
Job Title
Global Benefits Leader, People & Communities
Company
Cisco Systems
Biography
As an HR leader at Cisco Systems, Scott brings experience as a benefits and human resources leader with expertise in enterprise-wide program strategy and execution, including employee engagement programs and service delivery model changes. He is recognized for transformational outcomes deployed across business operations, HR service delivery models, and HCM solutions in the health care industry and employer sponsored plans.
Currently, Scott is Senior Director, Global Benefits for Cisco Systems where he oversees benefits globally. He leads a team of 50+, including market responsibility for Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Greater China. He directs strategy, design oversight, and delivery of high touch, personalized benefits programs in more than 95+ countries as well as oversees the fiduciary regulatory programs and participates in enterprise key committees.
Before joining Cisco Systems, Scott was an executive at Kaiser Permanente, where he was responsible for benefits design, delivery experiences, and change management over program-wide employee benefit programs. In addition, he contributed to the organization labor strategy, employee engagement, and employee service center.
Scott is active in his community as a volunteer, supporting numerous charitable organizations. Other passions include mentoring college students, early career professionals, and small businesses. For personal wellbeing, Scott is a passionate trail runner and may be found on Mt Diablo trails rain or shine.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Anne-Kathrin Eiselt, PhD, CPT
Job Title
Director of Applied Behavioral Science
Company
Teladoc Health
Biography
Dr. Anne-Kathrin Eiselt is a psychologist, neuroscientist, and health coach specializing in behavior change and digital health innovation. With 20 years of behavioral research and over a decade of health coaching experience, she has a proven track record of understanding and enabling the drivers of motivation, decision-making, and lasting change. At Teladoc Health, Dr. Eiselt applies evidence-based neuroscience and behavioral science strategies to enhance products and services, aiming to make digital health more personalized, engaging, and effective. Her mission is to create human-centered digital solutions that support lasting behavioral change and improve health outcomes for everyone.
2:15 PM - 2:55 PM
Coming soon
2:55 PM - 3:10 PM
- Global benefits certificate awards
- Raffle
- Closing remarks
Speaker Details
Full Name
Lisa Yee
Job Title
President and CEO
Company
Silicon Valley Employers Forum
Biography
Lisa Yee is the President and CEO of SVEF, based in Northern California, leads and engages with employers and partners to drive change in global benefits. She enjoys spending time with her family and two rescue dogs, Daisy & Gryffin, volunteering with animal rescue organizations, traveling, and baking.
Learning Practice
Day 1 - May 13
8:15 AM - 9:00 AM
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM
Breakfast and Networking
2025 Global Benefits Conference: Shaping for Change
Welcome!
Speaker Details
Full Name
Lisa Yee
Job Title
President and CEO
Company
Silicon Valley Employers Forum
Biography
Lisa Yee is the President and CEO of SVEF, based in Northern California, leads and engages with employers and partners to drive change in global benefits. She enjoys spending time with her family and two rescue dogs, Daisy & Gryffin, volunteering with animal rescue organizations, traveling, and baking.
9:10 AM - 9:55 AM
Benefits Session: Brands: Why They Matter and How to Build Them Globally
Presented by AMD and Segal Benz
Just like mass marketers have long understood the importance of strong brand identities, organizations that value their people, culture and benefits invest in internal brands too. Internal brands help to garner employees’ attention and ultimately better engage them in your programs.
Dana Shay, Director of Global Benefits at AMD, and Bridget O’Meara, VP at Segal Benz, will speak about how they led the implementation of a new global Total Rewards brand, tightly aligned with their external brand, across over 35 countries and 30,000 employees. They will share how AMD’s internal brand was created and initially introduced through a revamp of their Total Rewards SharePoint site. You’ll learn how the brand supported and enhanced strategic campaigns including U.S. benefits enrollment, the value of using time-off benefits and recharging, and most recently on communications introducing a new, global mental health provider.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Dana Shay
Job Title
Director of Global Benefits
Company
AMD
Biography
Speaker Details
Full Name
Bridget O'Meara
Job Title
Vice President and Senior Consultant
Company
Segal Benz
Biography
Bridget has nearly 30 years of experience in strategic employee communications. As an award-winning communicator, she’s passionate about providing employees and their families with simplified, easily digestible communications that helps them improve their physical, emotional and financial health. At Segal Benz she currently works with Sandia National Laboratories, University of Idaho, AMD, and several multi-employer clients. Between stints at Segal Benz, Bridget worked with The Boeing Company for more than 12 years communicating the company’s employee benefits, with an emphasis on well-being communications. Bridget also founded and oversees all marcom work for The Mend a Heart Foundation, a non-profit supporting children born with congenital heart defects.
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
Learning Practice: Why You Are Here
Presented by Silicon Valley Employers Forum
In this introductory session, Richard Polak will present the overall goals and expectations you will receive from completing this course. This will set the pace for an interactive experience; a collegial atmosphere; a safe place where everybody can participate and contribute. In fact, participation is encouraged…and will even be required at the end where you will be asked to present as part of a team in breakout groups. This is all in the spirit of “we can all learn from each other.”
10:40 AM - 10:55 AM
Networking Lunch and Vendor Showcase
11:00 AM - 11:40 AM
Learning Practice: Primer for Some; Refresh for Others
- ABC’s of International Employee Benefits (IEB)
- Basics of the world, benefits, type of employees, etc.
Here are the basics. You will learn what makes a high-tech company unique in the world of global benefits. We will go over the key differences of employee benefit plans/schemes for sales, engineers, leadership, and admin, including for local nationals, expatriates, and third country nationals, and what defines them. We will explore the basics of financing your benefit plans, the value of consolidating insurances and retirement trends. You will find you won’t need to be an expert to understand Social Security, mandatory programs, and benefit plans worldwide.
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
Networking Lunch and Vendor Showcase
1:05 PM - 1:35 PM
Learning Practice: Social Security and Mandatory Programs
- The difference in social systems around the world
- Mandatory programs which may or may not be government provided
Employers must consider not only the local laws of their international employees but also the culture and expectations employees have from their high-tech employers in each country. This session will review how social and cultural expectations will affect the supplemental employer-provided benefits within high-tech companies. As an example, while there is a National Health System (NHS) in the UK, how will this integrate with private employer-sponsored medical plans (PMI), which virtually all high-tech companies provide? This session will address the different requirements from country-to-country, financing, taxation, and labor and environmental regulations.
1:40 PM - 2:30 PM
Learning Practice: What Do the Typical High-Tech Employers Provide?
- Occupational plans around the world
- Benchmarking
- Well-being offerings
Benchmarking is a practice that gives high-tech companies an accurate idea of how they measure up against the competition. When you understand how your benefits stack up against other companies, you can better market your business. This session explores the benchmarking process, the differences in each company and country, how to differentiate yourselves amongst the competition, and where you could be wasting money and where you can save.
2:35 PM - 2:50 PM
Networking Break and Vendor Showcase
2:50 PM - 3:30 PM
Benefits Session: Global Wellbeing: Standards, Data, Impact
Presented by NVIDIA and Inflection
Discover how leading organizations are revolutionizing employee benefits by addressing global minimum standards. This session dives into the real data driving real outcomes, tackling crucial topics like menopause, family-building, and managing loss. Inflection’s co-founder, Jake Anderson, will guide you through the strategies that are shaping the future of employee well-being, providing actionable insights to elevate engagement, boost retention, and create a future-proof benefits strategy that helps close health disparity gaps across the globe. This session reveals how trailblazing companies are harnessing data to create meaningful employee outcomes through global minimum standards. We’ll explore globally impactful yet locally managed issues, from menopause and divorce to family-building and loss.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Jim Ingolia
Job Title
Global Benefits Lead
Company
NVIDIA
Biography
Jim joined NVIDIA in 2020. Prior to NVIDIA, he worked at WTW both on the East Coast and in the Bay Area, consulting with large employers on various strategic initiatives. Originally from the Philadelphia area, he now resides in San Francisco.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Jake Anderson-Bialis
Job Title
Co-founder
Company
Inflection
Biography
Jake is the co-founder of Inflection, a global digital education platform that deliver
expert fertility, reproductive health, and family-building information to diverse users in 70+ countries and regions. Inflection was founded in 2015 and has been an important pillar in employers' global well-being offerings. Jake is a resident of New Zealand and the United States. He is a member of fertility societies in Europe (ESHRE), Asia (ASPIRE) and is on the guideline committee for the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). He oversees Inflection's global course-building initiatives in 5 countries/regions and speaks both Russian and English. Jake is an expert speaker on the topic of diverse family-building, and he has hosted multiple events with the Human Rights Campaign(HRC) In April, Jake hosted an executive discussion on the new Corporate Equality Index criterion alongside HRC with a few hundred participants.
He is a graduate of Duke University (BA, Russian Studies, summa cum laude) and Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar, top 5% of class).
He is a proud father of 3 children, and 10+ year member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
3:35 PM - 4:15 PM
Learning Practice: What About Our Expats, RTW, WFA?
- Different types
- How, when, or if to convert to local nationals
- Trend amongst high-tech peers
- What benefits should I provide?
This session will start with providing you with all the areas of managing an expat’s expectations and how these benefits differ from local nationals and home country benefits. In addition, you’ll understand the reasoning behind offering an expat package and what is generally included in a high-tech environment.
Return to Work and Work from Anywhere:
- Definitions and how it varies from company-to-company and country-to-country
- Legal challenges
- Comp and benefit challenges
In this session, we will focus on how remote work is a working style that allows professionals to work outside of a traditional office environment and is becoming more and more common. This continues to be challenge for HR. The opportunities and challenges with remote work are still being fleshed out. Each company is different. This session will not only examine flexible working arrangements and the implications for employees and employers, but the common misconceptions. We’ll discuss what others in the high-tech space have done to solve this complex issue and present studies that show the most optimal result.
4:15 PM - 4:20 PM
Closing remarks
4:20 PM - 6:00 PM
Networking Reception
Generative AI: Transforming HR and EX
Opening by BrightPlan
Generative AI is leading the charge in transforming HR practices for both teams and employees in 2025. Building on our collaboration with Stripe at SVEF last year, where we unveiled insights from the Financial Wellness Barometer Survey, highlighting the increasing expectation among global employees for employers to support their financial well-being. As generative AI continues to gain momentum, employees now demand highly personalized financial guidance, tailored to local regulations and available when they need it. This presents a significant challenge for lean HR teams tasked with enhancing wellness strategies to boost employee productivity, engagement, and retention.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Joelle Vail
Job Title
Chief Revenue Officer
Company
Brightplan
Biography
Joelle leads the direct sales, partnership and client success teams for BrightPlan. Joelle has a track record of successfully scaling organizations from startup to enterprise, taking early-stage companies to over $100 million in revenue and enterprises from $100 million to $2 billion in revenue. Most recently, Joelle was Chief Operating Officer for Capital Factory and has also held senior level and executive positions at Paychex and Ascentis.
Day 2 - May 14
8:15 AM - 9:00 AM
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM
Breakfast and Networking
2025 Global Benefits Conference: Shaping for Change
Welcome!
Speaker Details
Full Name
Christi Williams
Job Title
Associate Director
Company
Silicon Valley Employers Forum
Biography
Christi Williams, Associate Director, based in Northern California, leads Marketing and Communications initiatives with an emphasis on events, member services, and strategic and innovation partners. She brings diverse experience in technology, health care, and financial services to this role. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling and spending quality time with her family.
9:10 AM - 9:50 AM
Benefits session:
Presented by Benefex
Listen to Gethin Nadin speak with Flutter on the key issues impacting workplace wellbeing. Gethin is an award-winning psychologist who has been helping some of the world’s largest organizations to improve their employee experience and wellbeing for more than two decades. In 2023 he was named as the World’s Most Influential HR Thinker by HR Magazine and UK Mental Health Campaigner of the Year 2023.
Speaker Details
Full Name
Gethin Nadin
Job Title
Chief Innovation Officer
Company
Benefex
Biography
Gethin is an award-winning psychologist who has been helping some of the world’s largest organisations to improve their employee experience and wellbeing for more than two decades. In 2023 he was named as the world’s Most Influential HR Thinker by HR Magazine and UK Mental Health Campaigner of the Year 2023.
As a frequent writer and speaker on employee experience and employee wellbeing, Gethin has been featured in Forbes, The Guardian, The Sun, The Huffington Post and The Financial Times as well as all major HR, Reward and Pensions publications. Gethin has been named as one of the world’s top Global Employee Experience Influencers in 2021, 2022 and 2023, an IW Inspiring Leader 2021 and named #2 HR Personality of the Year 2023. Gethin is also a regular keynote speaker, Ex-Chair of the UK Government-backed Engage for Success Wellbeing Thought Action Group, a Wellbeing Advisor to Investors In People, a Fellow at the RSA and a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee on the Future of Employability, frequently meeting with and presenting to members of the UK Parliament.
In 2018, Gethin published his first book - the award-winning HR bestseller ‘A World of Good: Lessons From Around the World in Improving the Employee Experience’, which has gone on to inspire HR and Reward teams at some of the world’s best known brands. In 2022, Gethin co-authored his second book ‘Das Menschliche Büro - The Human(e) Office’ a collaboration between leading academics and workplace professionals from across Europe.
In late 2022, Gethin published his third book, 'A Work In Progress: Unlocking Wellbeing to Create More Sustainable and Resilient Organisations' which reached the top of the UK bestseller list on its day of release. As part of the book’s global launch, Gethin went on a tour of the UK and Ireland with Ruby Wax OBE to highlight the importance of supporting mental health in the workplace.
9:55 AM - 10:40 AM
Learning Practice: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Pre
- Post
Due diligence is often overlooked as an important part of acquiring a company. Understanding the possible risks of mergers and acquisitions beforehand can increase confidence and deal success. By acquiring these skills, you’ll be a great asset to your organization. We’ll use a case study to review the pre and post phases of M&A. By the end of this session, you’ll feel like you’ve just been through a merger!
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Networking Break and Vendor Showcase
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM
Learning Practice: Yes, Some People Do Want to Retire
- Saving for the future
- Are there any Defined Benefit plans left in the world of high-tech
- What are the best practices
In some parts of the world, most employees rank retirement as among the most important type of benefit an employer can offer. Most, if not all, of the legacy defined benefit plans in the high-tech world have been wound-up and grandfathered. The world of defined contribution plans has many variations and certain governments are requiring auto enrollment to be provided by employers. There are several types of schemes that are necessary to complete a competitive benefit package for your employees. We will discuss all of them and help you prepare what’s best for your company.
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
Networking Lunch and Vendor Showcase
12:45 PM - 1:25 PM
Learning Practice: Help Please
- Sources of information
- Hiring a Consultant and Global Benefits Management
- Third-party vendors/suppliers
With all the information online, how do you know if you’re using a reliable source? How do you know what sources you can trust and where to find them? This session will give you information to trusted, reliable, and credible resources to take with you on your job.
1:30 PM - 2:10 PM
Learning Practice: How Do I Pay for This?
- Financing the benefits
- Fully insured, Pooling and Captives, Self-Insurance
The most efficient means of financing and funding your benefit plans are critical. This session will help you with all the alternatives available for each bracketed organization (size and risk). In this session, you’ll learn how to optimize your spending through alternative financial vehicles. At the end of the session, you’ll understand each option and a direction of what will be best for your company.
2:15 PM - 2:55 PM
Learning Practice: A Day in The Life plus a Team/Breakout Session
- Journey through real life
- Data privacy
- Unions and Works Councils
- Travel and security
- Best means to add values to your company
We will conclude our course by reviewing what you have learned and how to apply this knowledge to your company. With these skills, you will be able to impact productivity, financial responsibility and help your organization attract and retain talent. The final assignment will be a team’s approach to real life cases based on what you learned in the past two days.
2:55 PM - 3:10 PM
- Global benefits certificate awards
- Raffle
- Closing remarks
Speaker Details
Full Name
Lisa Yee
Job Title
President and CEO
Company
Silicon Valley Employers Forum
Biography
Lisa Yee is the President and CEO of SVEF, based in Northern California, leads and engages with employers and partners to drive change in global benefits. She enjoys spending time with her family and two rescue dogs, Daisy & Gryffin, volunteering with animal rescue organizations, traveling, and baking.