About the Panel Discussion

Employee engagement is dangerously low, and retention is getting harder by the day. Over half of employees are already looking for their next role, while turnover costs are spiraling—200% of salary for leaders, 80% for tech talent. Meanwhile, many companies still treat recognition like a soft perk instead of the business-critical strategy it truly is.

But here’s the kicker: when done right, recognition works. Companies that invest just 1% of payroll in strategic recognition see game-changing outcomes—lower turnover, stronger engagement, improved safety, and better performance. The latest research proves that fulfilling, authentic, personalized, equitable, and embedded recognition is the key to unlocking real ROI.

Join us for a LIVE interactive panel discussion where you will learn how to transform recognition from a nice-to-have into a performance engine. We’ll show you how to fund it correctly, scale it with intention, track the ROI, and harness AI-powered insights to turn moments of gratitude into measurable outcomes.

Discussion Topics

• The business case for increasing recognition funding to 1% of payroll—and the ROI it drives

• How to operationalize the 5 pillars of strategic recognition across your culture

• Ways to use AI and recognition data to identify hidden talent and risks

• How to personalize recognition at scale without sacrificing authenticity milestones


World Class Panelists

Mara Zavagno

VP People & Culture, and Chief DEI Officer
Konecranes

Carmen Valdés

Vice President Corporate Human Resources
Wolters Kluwer

Sarah Nutolo

VP Talent
Pandora

Chris Rainey

CEO & Co-Founder
HR Leaders

Meisha-ann Martin

VP People Research
Workhuman