Session Description & Learning Objectives:
WTW will share insights on key market trends and outline how HR leaders can navigate today’s rapidly evolving landscape. The session will focus on strategies to elevate the Employee Experience, including:
- Employing multi-faceted listening strategies
- Understanding and responding to total rewards preferences
- Applying structured change management approaches
Speakers:
- Elise Freedman – Senior Director, Employee Experience
Elise is senior leader in the Employee Experience and Talent Practice. For over 30 years, Elise has been advising Senior Business and HR Leaders on how to better link business strategy to their talent strategy to develop a culture, structure and practices that attracts, aspires and retains talent while also driving business performance. Her areas of expertise include talent management, change management, culture transformation, mergers and acquisitions, employee experience, leadership development, career development, performance management and succession management.
Additional experience outside of WTW includes senior roles at Korn Ferry, Accenture, and BearingPoint where she developed a broad base of talent management, change management, human resources and project management skills and expertise.
- Lara Paukovits – Senior Director, Employee Experience
Lara Paukovits is the Employee Experience (EX) Market Leader for the Metro Washington, D.C. market. In this role, she focuses on helping our clients to achieve their business goals and desired EX, our colleagues to attain their ambitions, and our company to deliver on our key strategic priorities.
Lara’s recent experiences include:
●Organizational change, including M&A and restructuring
●HR transformation, strategy and effectiveness
●Career framework and related program implementations
●Total rewards strategy
●Performance management
●Wellbeing program engagement
●Employee insights
Lara has more than 20 years of experience with WTW and has worked with clients across many industries. For more than 15 years she has contributed to the firm’s intellectual capital on change management and the career aspects of the employee experience. In 2007 she was one of six employees to receive the Chairman’s Award for personifying the mission, vision and values of the firm.
- Shekar NV – Senior Director, Work & Rewards
Shekar NV is a recognized global leader in Workforce Transformation, specializing in Strategic Workforce Planning and Talent Analytics. With a proven track record of leveraging big data, AI, and advanced analytics, Shekar helps organizations move from reactive talent decision-making to proactive and predictive workforce strategies.
With 25+ years of experience, Shekar has designed and led workforce analytics strategies, transformation initiatives, and predictive modeling projects for some of the world’s most prestigious companies, including Capital One, HP, Marriott, and Accenture. His ability to bridge HR, business strategy, and data science has helped executive teams drive workforce agility, operational efficiency, and talent innovation.
Before his role at Willis Towers Watson, Shekar founded and scaled Accenture’s Talent Innovation Lab and Talent Analytics team, growing it from a one-person function to a 100+ member global practice while filing three patents in workforce intelligence. His expertise spans workforce planning, AI-driven talent insights, organizational design, and HR technology transformation. A trusted advisor to C-suite leaders, Shekar is committed to reshaping the future of work by integrating data, digital transformation, and strategic workforce design to help businesses stay ahead in an era of rapid change.
Areas of focus
●Workforce Planning & Labor optimization
●Predictive Talent Analytics
●HR Data Strategy, Reporting & Dashboards
●Talent Strategy and Talent Management
Education and Credentials
Shekar has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Finance & Strategy from Vanderbilt University, USA. He was a member of the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. He is a frequent keynote speaker at HR conferences and has been interviewed by CEB and other magazines and publications.
Timeline
8:00am - 8:45am - Registration + Breakfast + Networking
8:45am - 9:00am - Interactive Team Building Activity
9:00am - 10:30am - Program
10:30am - 11:00am - Networking
IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR 1.5 HRCI + SHRM CREDITS
PROGRAM ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED
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