Alex is a highly experienced employee engagement consultant, trainer and speaker. For over 15 years she has helped HR and business leaders implement strategies that drive true culture change.  Her wealth of knowledge comes from coaching and training thousands of managers from a wide range of industries across the globe. Alex focuses on providing organizations with proven practices that drive results for varied leadership styles and the multiple generations in the modern workforce. Her presentation will leave you motivated and better equipped to lead your organization on a path to a more engaged workforce, making the world a better place to work.

In late 2023, Bart Houlahan became a Partner at Irrational Capital, an investment research firm that has discovered a connection between how companies that treat their people and outperformance in the equity markets. Irrational Capital has identified and quantified the Human Capital Factor®, a new investment factor (like Growth or Value) that is connected to future equity value creation. Through its partner, Harbor Capital, the Company has launched three ETF’s traded on the NYSE (HAPI, HAPS, HAPY). Bart joined the firm to build the Human Capital Factor® Ratings System, providing companies with actionable insights on how they can align their corporate culture with equity value creation. Prior to Irrational Capital, Bart co-founded B Lab in 2006, the non-profit organization behind the B Corporation movement. B Lab is working to build a movement of people using business as a force for good by certifying leading sustainable businesses (Certified B Corporations) and encouraging other companies to follow by using B Lab’s tools. There are now approximately 10,000 Certified B Corporations in 102 countries and 162 industries. More than 350,000 businesses have used B Lab’s B Impact Assessment to manage their social and environmental performance, and the organization has passed legislation in 56 jurisdictions, creating a new legally-recognized corporate form, the Benefit Corporation. Prior to B Lab, Bart was President and one of the original partners of AND 1, a $250 MM basketball footwear and apparel company. At its peak, AND 1 was the second largest basketball company in the world with distribution in 82 countries. The company also scaled an entertainment business, the AND 1 Mix Tape, that included a global tour, videogame, and television show. Bart is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a recipient of the 2014 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. He has also received the 2015 John P. McNulty Prize and was named 2022 Henry Bloch Social Entrepreneur of the Year. He sits on the board of the Duke University Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) and B Lab Global. Bart is a graduate of Stanford University where he met his wife, Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan. They have three grown daughters (two of whom are recently married). Bart and his wife divide their time between Philadelphia and Washington DC.

Courtney is Senior Director, Global People Analytics at Colgate-Palmolive. She supports leaders across the organization to maximize their talent data for decision making. Her team focuses on the technology and measurement strategies for performance, culture, inclusion, learning, recruiting, skills, well-being, and also leads employee listening. Courtney is passionate about making connected data accessible and upskilling all of HR in analytics.

Prior to joining Colgate, Courtney held similar roles in People Analytics at AIG and Deloitte. She started her career over 20 years ago as a management consultant in the pharmaceutical industry. Her past research has been featured in Harvard Business Review and HBS case studies. Courtney holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Lafayette College.

Jason Global Head, Organizational Development at Kuehne + Nagel

Rose Fass is the founder and Chair of fassforward Consulting Group, a leading-edge business transformation firm. Rose works with executive teams from Fortune 500 companies. She is the trusted advisor to Mastercard, Verizon, Chick-fil-A, and more. Her work delivers thought leadership, methodologies, and tools to tackle challenging issues, solve complex business problems, execute strategies, and achieve tangible results. A dynamic speaker, Rose is frequently invited to speak at private and public sector events. She has been a guest on CNBC, and quoted in several bestselling business books. She is the author of The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business, and The Leadership Conversation: Make Bold Change, One Conversation At A Time. Rose has been awarded the Great Companies & International Entrepreneurship Award 2024, featured in Fortune’s Most Powerful Women of 2022 and Entrepreneur 100 Women of Influence in Westchester. She is also listed in Forbes; 2012, Top 10 Women Business Leaders of New York.

Anita Jivani is the Global Head of Innovation at Avanade. 

Amy Onori is currently the Head of Recruitment for Publicis Media’s COE (Center of Excellence) also known as the PM Practices. Amy is no stranger to the media industry; having previously started as an entry level Associate Media Planner before pivoting into Recruitment and Human Resources. For nearly 15 years, Amy has spent time understanding the media world having begun her Recruitment career with GroupM where she was a tactical recruiter known for her high volume and output. Since then, she’s dipped her toe into the Generalist field, but ultimately came back to Recruitment where has found immense joy by bringing a fast-paced and scalable approach to her hiring strategies. She’s known for being strategic, influential, and operationally sound as she leads her recruiting teams with a business partner approach and aims to foster inclusivity into all elements of the recruitment process. 

Philipp Muelbert is Group SVP of Strategy, Performance, & Innovation at LHH, where he oversees the overall strategic direction of the organization, mergers and acquisitions, and product and innovation efforts.

Philipp brings to LHH over 25 years of global corporate strategy and strategy consulting experience across a variety of B2B and B2C industries.  Prior to joining LHH, Philipp led the corporate strategy function at Iron Mountain.  He started his career in strategy consulting at Adventis, serving clients in the telecommunications, technology, and media space.

Philipp received a Master of Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University, and a Bachelor of Science with honors from Valparaiso University. 

Born in Germany, Philipp grew up between Europe, Asia and North America.  He currently resides in Boston, MA, with his wife and two children.

Peter Johnson serves as Senior Vice President, Head of Talent and Culture at NRG Energy, where he leads the company’s people strategy. In this role he oversees compensation and benefits, talent acquisition, learning & development, cultural integration, talent operations, values development, and employee and labor relations. He has been an integral leader in developing the Talent and Culture organization's strategy since joining the company in 2013.

Prior to joining NRG, Peter was Vice President of Americas Benefits with Goldman Sachs in New York. Before that, he spent 13 years at Citigroup in New York in various roles including supply chain and human resources, ending his time there as Vice President of US benefits.

Peter earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Business Management from Washington College (MD) as well as a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Financial Management from Troy University (AL).

He is a member of the Board of Trustees and the Vice Chair of the Board for Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania, a Princeton-based non-profit supporting arts education for children. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for NonProfitConnect, a Princeton organization focused on developing leadership in central New Jersey’s non-profit community.

Zach Smith is the Chief Activation Officer + Co-Founder of Activate 180. He has been a trusted voice in mindset, career optimization, and leadership coaching for over 10 years. Zach has coached thousands of employees across mid-market and enterprise-level organizations, aligning their careers with true calling and passion to create total life fulfillment.

Before becoming an award-winning coach, Zach spent more than 10 years in senior marketing and client relationship management roles for well-known, international consumer beverage brands. Zach trained with the Erikson International Coaching, graduating from their highest-level course. He is a sought-after keynote speaker who regularly appears before audiences at industry conferences and events.

Zach currently resides in San Diego, California with his partner Rachel. He has a passion for an active lifestyle, photography, art, travel, and sports like rock climbing, snowboarding, and yoga. Zach received a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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.

Mihae Ahn is an accomplished author and the Vice President of Marketing at LineZero. She has written two impactful books, The Stories We Tell and Perfectly Incomplete, where she shares her authentic and vulnerable journey, challenging the norms of personal development literature. Mihae’s storytelling approach fosters genuine connections, encouraging readers to reflect on their own lives and narratives.
In her role as VP of Marketing at LineZero, Mihae utilizes the 6PM (6-Pillar Marketing) Framework to create systematic and effective marketing strategies. Her approach helps businesses achieve measurable ROI by lowering customer acquisition costs and increasing customer lifetime value. Mihae is dedicated to optimizing and elevating employee experiences and internal communications, living by the values of People First, Be Like Gumby, and Do It Right.

Chad Deshler is Senior Vice President of Sales at LifeSpeak Inc., a leading provider of digital health and wellbeing solutions for employers and health plans. With over 20 years of experience in B2B sales and client success, Chad has helped organizations navigate the evolving healthcare landscape through innovative wellness, mental health, and caregiving support platforms. At LifeSpeak, he leads U.S. sales strategy and growth, expanding access to the company’s expert-led, whole-person well-being solutions through strategic partnerships and channel distribution.

Omar is a seasoned HR consultant with over 20 years of experience helping forward-thinking organizations redefine the future of work. Since joining Workhuman in 2019, he has served clients as an educator, advocate, and trusted advisor, driving impactful people strategies. Omar began his career in the U.S. Air Force as a combat pilot and training operations director, leading and developing high-performing teams. He later expanded his expertise through consulting roles at Deloitte, Appirio, and the NeuroLeadership Institute. Omar holds a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, an MBA from California Polytechnic State University, and a Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law.

Beth A. Perrone was appointed Senior Vice President, HR Chief Talent & Strategy Officer in early 2023. She is responsible for
the company’s talent and workforce strategy, including talent and leadership development, talent acquisition, learning and
development, and workforce data and analytics. She is currently working with the CEO and Executive Team to define a
company talent strategy aligned to the company business strategy and roadmap for execution.

In 2020, Beth was named the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Human Health Commercial. She partnered with
the Chief Commercial Officer on all strategic talent and HR matters. In 2021, she led the organizational design efforts to bring
together Global Marketing and Commercial into a single Human Health (18,000+ colleagues) organization where 80% of the
Human Health leadership team members were moved into new roles for developmental purposes in preparation of succession
planning.

In 2022, Beth worked with the CEO to determine the new Human Health operating model to optimize the development of internal
talent and ability to bring external talent into Merck to strengthen the talent bench. Working closely with three Executive Team
members, Beth led the creation of a Human Health talent strategy with a strong focus on diversity & inclusion. In this role, Beth
led a global HR organization of approximately 400 professionals in 90+ countries and managed an annual budget of $65M. In
addition to the HR Leadership Team, Beth is also a member of the Human Health Leadership Team.

Beth also serves on the Senior Executive Crisis Team representing global HR and has led all efforts on 3 global crisis events in
the last 5 years; a major cyber incident, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent Ukraine / Russia situation.

Prior to Merck, Beth worked for Schering-Plough, Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s where she held various roles in Human
Resources

Beth serves on the Board of Directors for Program Development Services, which is a consulting agency providing established
agencies in the field of developmental disabilities with innovative and progressive solutions toward providing high-quality
individualized care and is a member of the G100 Women’s Network (part of World 5o). She has been awarded the TWIN award
which recognizes women in industry.

Shurawl Sibblies is MetLife’s chief human resources officer and a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team. In this role, Sibblies leads Human Resources with responsibility for fostering a purpose-driven, inclusive culture that energizes employees, empowers them to excel, and enables MetLife to deliver on its strategy and create value for stakeholders.
Prior to joining MetLife in 2024, Sibblies was executive vice president and colleague strategic partner at American Express. She was responsible for leading talent, organizational and leadership development strategies for several businesses and functions, including the company’s consumer business, international markets, innovation units and the enterprise functions.
Before joining American Express in 2020, Sibblies was senior vice president and human resources business partner for MetLife’s U.S. Business, Global Employee Benefits and Investments teams, as well as several of the company’s functions.
Previously, Sibblies has held leadership positions in human resources, finance and product management for companies including TIAA, Citigroup and Hewlett-Packard. Sibblies holds a B.S. in business administration from the University at Albany, State University of New York, an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Rochester and an M.S. in predictive analytics from Northwestern University.

Catherine Hill is the VP of Marketing at CoderPad, a leading tech hiring platform. As Marketing leader, she gives CoderPad customers a voice, builds brand awareness, and drives growth. Catherine is committed to CoderPad's mission of empowering talent leaders and hiring managers to uncover skills and form impactful, innovative tech teams.

Andy Serwer is Editor at Large at Barron's, covering a wide range of topics. Prior to Barron's, he led Yahoo Finance’s editorial team for nearly eight years. He spent 29 years with Fortune Magazine, rising to the position of managing editor, and was the business news anchor of CNN’s American Morning from 2000-2006. Serwer is the 2020 winner of the Elliott V. Bell Award for financial journalism.

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. 

Corinne is a writer, editor and lifelong New Yorker with one ear always trained to a good story. She started her career as a "runner" for the New York Daily News, where she chased crime, covered education and City Hall, and turned copy around for three deadlines on the rewrite desk. 

During this time she dueled with an Olympic fencer, nabbed her first fake ID at 26 and penned an eyewitness account of an NYPD stop-and-frisk. Her extensive reporting on juvenile justice in the Bronx and Harlem won her two fellowships from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Newswomen's Club of New York Award for Beat Reporting.

She went on to earn an MFA from Columbia University, where she was awarded a Creative Writing teaching fellowship (she has also taught at Borough of Manhattan Community College and The School of the New York Times). Her journalism, essays and fiction have been published in outlets as varied as Forbes, The London Reader and Lakeshore Review. She has written op-eds about jury duty and teaching in nontraditional settings, reported on the murky, unregulated world of life coaches and plumbed her own experience of reporting an incident to the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. She believes stories can be found in unexpected corners, and she's interested in how even the simplest questions can help us challenge and reframe common perceptions.

Most recently, she worked with entrepreneurs, experts and thought leaders as a deputy editor to help shape their content on Forbes. During her two years there, she also developed and led seminars on journalism skills for staff and contributors.

In November 2024, she launched The Off-Site Writing Workshop, which offers customized writing services for entrepreneurs and companies looking to learn the craft of commentary. She has moderated panels at Future of Work conferences, including at From Day One, Running Remote and Worktech. 

Annalyn is the EVP, Talent Analytics & Human Resources Operations at IPG Mediabrands.

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. 

Kelly is the Global VP, Learning at VML.

Diana is the Chief Talent and People Officer at Omnicom Media Group.

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.