Marina Vassilev drives performance, profitability, and growth as the senior executive leader of Total Rewards for global organizations. She translates business vision and goals into actionable Total Rewards strategies and innovative programs that attract talent, engage employees, and maximize retention. Delivering strategies that balance employee priorities with cost targets, Marina optimizes a company’s investment in its people. She is equally adept at architecting and operationalizing value-add solutions, and she leads cross-functional teams to create, implement, and drive awareness of the programs that comprise a strong employee value proposition to gain advantage in competitive markets and industries.

David Gelles is an award-winning correspondent for the New York Times. In DIRTBAG BILLIONAIRE: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away, New York Times Gelles reveals how Patagonia became a global leader in doing well by doing good and how other companies are adopting its principles. Gelles currently writes for the climate desk and previously wrote for the business section and was the “Corner Office” columnist. His book, “The Man Who Broke Capitalism,” was an instant New York Times bestseller.

Tina Gilbert (she / her)  is the Vice President of the Employer Offering practice responsible for delivery of client services and development of leading practices that help companies enhance their talent strategies and build more inclusive workplaces.  Tina brings 10 years of DEI Leadership (4 years global), 15 years of Strategic Consulting, and 25 years of corporate experiences across different industries to this role. Throughout her career, she has led efforts to transform organizations' operating models, business processes, and employee culture to create measurable impact. As an I&D Leader, she has partnered with Business and HR leaders in designing strategies and metrics that align with talent strategies and desired business outcomes.

Prior to joining MLT, Tina was the Inclusion and Diversity Leader for two organizations, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Accolade (Healthcare Navigation and Data). As the first I&D leader at both organizations, she guided each organizations’ evolution from diversity compliance management to recognizing its value as a business imperative. Her work at Teva was recognized in 2017 by Diversity, Inc. Magazine as one of their Noteworthy Companies. More recently she was named as one of Hive Learning’s Most Influential D&I Leaders and by FindSpark as one of the 30 Must-Follow Diversity & Inclusion Thought Leaders Transforming the Workplace.

Before working as a full-time Diversity Practitioner, Tina was a Partner/Managing Director with Accenture’s Strategy Practice leading large transformation projects, business strategic planning programs, and operations/organizational design.  At Accenture, she sponsored a variety of DEI programming, recruiting and training initiatives. She holds a BS from Spelman College, an Industrial Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.  She is based in the Philadelphia, PA area.

Emma Goldberg covers the future of work for The New York Times. Before joining the Times’ Business section, she worked for the Times editorial board. She is the winner of the Newswomen’s Club of New York’s Best New Journalist Award, the New York Press Club’s Nellie Bly Award, and the Sidney Hillman Foundation’s Sidney Award. She is the author of Life on the Line: Young Doctors Come of Age in a Pandemic, which the Washington Post called “essential reading.”

Brie Harvey is a talent management leader and digital strategist who writes and speaks about trends within Human Capital Management and the future of work.

Having served in a variety of leadership roles for HR Technology companies over the last decade, she brings expert level knowledge of Total Rewards, L&D, talent acquisition, and how to cultivate workplace cultures that transform employee engagement and the Employee Value Proposition.

Passionate about the intersection between behavioral science, managerial effectiveness and technology, Brie has partnered with some of the world’s largest, most complex organizations to build high performance cultures centered around authentic appreciation, trust and inclusion.

In her role as an Employee Engagement Evangelist, Brie works with the research arm of Achievers, the Workforce Institute, to share data-based insights about how to enhance employee engagement and recognition strategies for a pandemic-era workplace.

Tania Rahman is the Social Media Director at Fast Company, where she oversees social strategy while supporting cross-functional team needs. She has a decade of social marketing experience spanning B2B, advertising, and editorial industries, and previously led social at Yext and IBM Watson. In addition, she serves as the Director of Communications on the executive board at the South Asian Journalists Association, helping create a platform and community for current and aspiring journalists in the South Asian diaspora. 

Jason Global Head, Organizational Development at Kuehne + Nagel

Josh Newman is the Global Head of People Strategy & Experience at WPP, a leading marketing and advertising company. He focuses on the future of work, workforce design, and how AI is changing the way organizations unlock human potential.

Blending strategy, storytelling, and systems thinking, Josh has worked both inside major enterprises and alongside them as a consultant. At Walmart, he helped launch the company’s first employee value proposition. Earlier in his career, he advised clients such as American Express and PepsiCo on reimagining how they attract, engage, and grow talent. More recently, his work has turned to building workforce intelligence tools and exploring how AI can reposition HR as a driver of business impact.

At WPP, Josh partners with leaders across the business to experiment with new models of work and to prepare the organization for the opportunities and challenges of AI. He brings a strategist’s eye, a communicator’s voice, and a focus on making complex change practical and actionable.

Miles is the Founder and CEO of Strategia. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School, Miles has blended the disciplines of large systems change, family therapy, research, and consulting to create unique ways to help organizations, teams and individuals change. He has worked with over sixty companies in key aspects of managing and aligning their workforce. Miles’ experience with corporate clients spans leadership and employee assessment, executive collaboration, day-to-day management practices, individual coaching, and corporate culture alignment. He is the author of Building Flexible Organizations: A People Centered Approach, a book focused on how employees and organizations fit—or don’t fit—to create high performance and financial results. 

Sachin Jain is a strategic HR professional with over 20 years of experience. He is currently the Managing Director & Global Head of Talent Strategy for Citi. He is focused on assessing, identifying, promoting, coaching and developing the next set of future ready talent at Citi. Before he current role, he worked at PepsiCo, where he was part of the Global Talent Management Centre of Excellence (COE), responsible for driving the talent agenda related to Future of Work, Manager Assessment & Accountability, Employee Engagement & Experience, Organizational Culture & Careers. At PepsiCo, he has had different experiences within HR function - in Employee relations, Learning, HRBP, Talent Management and Organization Development across different international geographies. His strength lies in translating data-driven people insights into business actions and driving enterprise-wide change. He enjoys reading and travelling around with his wife and daughter.

Jon Lowe is Chief People Officer at DailyPay, the leading on-demand pay company. Lowe joins DailyPay after serving as Head of U.S. Human Resources at eToro and Head of Human Resources at Revolut, two prominent global fintech companies. He also spent more than seven years as an HR leader at Amazon. Jon's work as a leader within the HR space was integral in supporting the organizations through periods of hypergrowth and navigating rapidly-evolving talent and business environments.

Lowe is a graduate of Queen's University where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Sociology. He holds a Ted Rogers MBA in Strategic Human Resource Management from the Toronto Metropolitan University. Lowe is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), as well as a former committee member with the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA).

Melissa Fridman is an SVP, Head of People for North America and Global MS&A for VISA. Melissa joined VISA in September 2022 and in her role she acts as a strategic thought partner to VISA’s Regional President for NA and Global Head of MS&A and their organizations. She is  responsible for creating and delivering a strategic People plan in line with business priorities, with an integrated approach to regional/functional organizational effectiveness, talent acquisition, talent management, learning, development, Inclusion & Diversity, and all People processes with the goal of helping the business to drive their desired results.  

Melissa brings over 20 years of HR experience within financial services having worked at Deutsche Bank Securities for the past 15 years and Bloomberg, L.P. prior to that. During her career Melissa has advised and coached global business leadership teams through change and transformation. Her broad experience includes recruiting, compensation, talent management, employee relations, organizational design, shared services, strategic people support and leadership of global HR teams. 

Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Union College, and a master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from New York University. When not at work, you can find Melissa traveling, spending time with her 12-year-old boy/girl twins or running on her Peloton tread.

Gavin McMahon builds things. Once, it was submarines, sports cars, and steel plants—big, complex systems built on logic and precise plans. But plans have a funny way of falling apart when people get involved. As Gavin tried to figure out why, one truth became clear: People don’t move without a story. Business is more than just strategy and execution—it is persuasion and inspiration too. So he switched gears, traded engineering for business, and earned an MBA in Innovation, Strategy & Information Technology from the Institute Theseus in France. Today, as CEO and co-founder of fassforward, he helps companies shape strategy, leadership, and culture through storytelling. Over the years, he’s worked with some of the world’s biggest brands and learned that even the best ideas will go nowhere if they aren’t told well. Now, he’s written a book about it called Story Business: Why Stories Rule the World and How They Can Reinvent Your Business

Piyush is the Global Head of HR, Worldwide Markets for Pharmaceuticals, responsible for shaping talent, culture, and transformation priorities across global markets

Ruth Ferguson is a seasoned HR executive with over 25 years of experience in the Investment Banking and Financial Services sectors, complemented by five years in Real Estate Development. Currently serving as the Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Wells Fargo, she leads HR for critical divisions including COO, Risk, Audit, and Legal. Ruth has a rich history of leadership roles, having previously been the CHRO at The Related Companies and held senior HR positions at Bank of America Merrill Lynch across various global markets. Her expertise lies in managing complex HR issues related to capital markets, employee relations, and performance management. Ruth is also an active board member and enjoys choral singing in her leisure time. With a global perspective and a passion for talent management, she thrives in dynamic and demanding environments.

Stéphanie leads strategic partnerships at CodeSignal. She spent her career in education including 10 years at Coursera where she joined as employee 40, helped launch B2B and scaled teams across EMEA through a successful IPO. She is passionate about leveraging technology to democratize access to education and has a diverse background, having worked in Higher Ed and at the UN.

Ralph Nader currently serves as Senior Vice President, Head of Talent at Mediabrands, the digital media arm of the Interpublic Group; where he leads a team of 50 individuals responsible for more than 3000 hires per year, across 7 Agencies. Ralph spent most of his career in the News and Entertainment Media industry where he held a number of leadership roles including Head of Talent at News America Marketing, a News Corp subsidiary; Director of Talent Viacom/CBS where he spearheaded digital recruiting across Viacom's large portfolio of brands including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and SpikeTV. Ralph joined Viacom after spending a number of years at NBCUniversal where he was responsible for talent acquisition across NBC News and NBC's Digital properties; a portfolio that included Bravo, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC, Fandango.com, and some of NBC's flagship News properties such as The Today Show, and Dateline. Prior to transitioning into the Media industry, Ralph was Director of Recruitment at Bench International, a boutique executive search firm within life sciences. Ralph also enjoys helping non-profit organizations, either through thought- leadership or volunteering opportunities, like Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Dress for Success, Taproot foundation, Jesra Foundation and many others.

Sophie Ruddock, Empathy's COO, leads commercial operations and strategic growth initiatives to drive scaled impact for those experiencing life's most challenging moments. She brings well over a decade of expertise in scaling high-growth technology companies and building transformative global organizations. As a founding executive and COO at Multiverse, Sophie
architected the company's expansion from early-stage startup to an international market leader. By spearheading its U.S. market entry and driving strategic partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, she oversaw the company through phenomenal growth and category definition. Her track record spans public, private, and non-profit sectors across the UK, U.S., and European
markets. She advises venture-backed companies in go-to-market strategy, operational excellence, and AI innovation.

Nicole M. DuBois is a people-oriented and dedicated leader and human resources executive. She possesses broad experience in Nonprofit Organizational Management and is a proven leader with a penchant for talent development and facilitating meaningful connections. Nicole is a mentor, speaker, author and is often sought out for thought leadership. Nicole is a graduate of Fordham and New York Universities where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology & Urban Studies and Master’s in Counseling for Mental Health & Wellness. She is presently the Chief Human Resources Officer at Graham, the nonprofit human services organization in New York City originally founded by three women including Eliza Hamilton (the then orphanage, founded in 1806 is mentioned in the Broadway musical, Hamilton!). In her leisure time, Nicole enjoys traveling internationally and creative writing.
Nicole was born and raised in New York City and currently resides in New Jersey with her
husband, 14-year-old son and bonus son.

Emtrain founder and CEO Janine Yancey is a passionate advocate for healthy workplace cultures. Janine’s unique approach blends technology, behavioral science, data analytics, and social media-inspired interactions to help inform and improve workplace behavior. Janine presides over a team of experts and an extensive library of content including courses, video, resource guides, checklists and analytic reports that define the modern workplace.

Janine is a proponent of neutral, third-party guidance and problem-solving. By orchestrating a publicly-accessible community interface for employee questions and concerns, Janine stays at the forefront of real-world, real-time harassment, bias, discrimination, and ethics issues.

A tireless visionary, Janine writes extensively, has provided expert testimony and advice to state legislatures, and helps leading companies implement harassment prevention, diversity, ethics, and compliance programs. Janine is a sought-after speaker and has been published and interviewed in the mainstream media including The Washington Post, Fast Company, USA Today, Bloomberg Business, TechCrunch, and Startup Grind. She’s presented at Society of Ethics and Compliance; Techstars FounderCon; Founders Network, and The Club.

Prior to founding Emtrain, Janine was a partner at Employment Law Partners where she specialized in solving labor and employment problems for high tech firms including Google, Intuit and a variety of start-ups. Janine also worked as counsel at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, served as Board Member of the Northern California Human Resources Association, and authored The HR Handbook, designed to help young tech companies navigate workplace laws.

Janine earned her JD at the University of California Hastings School of Law and a BA in English and Political Science at the University of California Berkeley.

Jennifer Dulski has over 25 years of executive experience leading global teams at top companies, including Facebook, Google, Yahoo!, and Change.org. 

She is the founder and CEO of Rising Team, a team performance platform that helps companies boost engagement and retention, build trust and connection, and improve manager and team effectiveness. The platform combines software-guided team workshops with a personalized AI leadership coach, and its data from tens of thousands of teams gives Jennifer unique insight into the future of work and how to build high-performing teams that leverage AI without losing humanity.

Jennifer also serves on the faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she teaches one of the school’s most popular courses, Managing Growing Enterprises, on people leadership. She writes about leadership and the future of work for Fortune, Fast Company, and LinkedIn Influencers, and is the author of Purposeful, a Wall Street Journal bestseller on how each of us can start movements that make a difference.

Alicia Archer is a Master Trainer at STRETCHIT. With over a decade of teaching experience, Alicia Archer thoughtfully guides users through comprehensive stretching, mobility, and flexibility sequences, in order to unlock their movement potential. Alicia is Group Fitness Certified by AFAA (The Athletics and Fitness Association of America) and a Certified FRC® (Functional Range Conditioning) Mobility Specialist by Functional Anatomy Seminars. Her qualifications also include a BFA in Dance from Fordham University/The Ailey School.

Joan Kronick-Johnson is Regional Vice President at Amazon One Medical, leading enterprise and mid-market growth across the East Coast. She partners with employers and brokers to design primary-care strategies that improve access, reduce costs, and enhance employee wellbeing. Known for her data-driven and relationship-centered approach, Joan has played a key role in expanding One Medical’s footprint, mentoring emerging talent, and helping organizations move from fragmented point solutions to integrated, whole-person care that drives measurable impact.

Dave is the SVP of Systems Research at Strategia. Educated at Kent State University and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Dave has had a thirty+ year career in academia and private industry. His academic research has focused on perceived control, self-efficacy, and systems change within educational settings. He has worked with dozens of schools and school districts assisting them managing and aligning their educational mandates with the pedagogical needs of their students. Dave has over thirty+ years experience in developing and empirically validating surveys. He has served as a Methodological Consultant & Grant Reviewer for several State and Federal Agencies, including the US Departments of Education and Health & Human Services. Dave has published extensively in leading academic journals, including Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Social Cognition, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, British Journal of Social Psychology.

Sage Lazzaro is a technology writer and editor focused on artificial intelligence, data, digital culture, and technology’s impact on our society and culture. Her work has appeared in Fortune, VentureBeat, Business Insider, Wired, Supercluster, The New York Observer, and many more places.

 Barry is Vice President, Sales and leads Remote's Payroll GTM function. Prior to joining Remote in 2024, Barry was a founding member of Immedis, the cloud based Global Payroll tech platform, serving as Chief Customer Officer on acquisition by UKG. He has over 20 years experience in Employment, Tax and Payroll Services, having begun his career in Deloitte, and is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Tax Consultant and Chartered Company Secretary.

Cadie Thompson is an executive editor at Business Insider. She oversees the trending business desk, politics, and the legal affairs team. Previously, she was the deputy executive editor of business news, overseeing all tech, media, transportation, and retail coverage. She also led the emerging tech team at Tech Insider. 

Alain Bernard is a seasoned global Human Resources executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience spanning healthcare, financial services, and technology. He is recognized for aligning HR strategy with business performance, leading complex organizational integrations, driving enterprise-wide talent acquisition transformations, and advancing culture, engagement, and organizational effectiveness.

As Vice President of Human Resources at Quest Diagnostics, Alain serves as the strategic HR Business Partner to all Corporate Enabling Function C-suite executives, leads the Employee & Labor Relations Center of Excellence, and heads the company’s HR Mergers & Acquisitions team, overseeing integration strategy and execution.

Prior to Quest Diagnostics, Alain held senior HR leadership roles with AEGON, Bank of America, Sun Microsystems, Morgan Stanley, and J.P. Morgan Chase, where he built a strong reputation for developing high-performing teams, fostering inclusion, and enabling business transformation through people.

A proud graduate of Morehouse College, Alain is also a devoted husband and father of three young adults.

Jennifer is a Journalist & President, Jennifer Reingold Advisors.

Jillian Morgan is the Director of Community & Wellness at IPG Mediabrands and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over a decade of experience. She has served as a therapist and a consultant developing programs that build a strong sense of belonging, connection, and community, as well as advising employers on best practices for mental health and wellbeing at work.

She plays integral role in shaping the employee experience by working closely with agency DEI and Talent Leads, and IPGMB Corporate Communications to design and deliver forward thinking employee engagement programs that strengthen the sense of community amongst our people, including the creation of IPG Mediabrands’ comprehensive wellness strategy that address the challenges that our people face today.