On the move: Benefits leaders land at Pride, SHRM and HealthJoy

March 2, 2021 3:36 PM

The middle of a pandemic may not seem like the optimal time to make a career move, but these six benefits pros have done just that, enhancing their resumes as well as the organizations they’ve joined.

Over the past year, many employers made adjustments to their workflow — switching to remote work, adding new benefits and recruiting new employees. Organizations hope these changes will help steer the company through the pandemic and drive them forward when it finally ends.

Scroll through the following list to learn more about which companies made moves so far in 2021.

Do you have a new hire or promotion you would like to share? Is a key executive stepping down after years of service? Contact amanda.schiavo@arizent.com and let us know. Please provide a high-resolution headshot along with the new job details. Follow us on twitter (@EBAadvisernews and @EBNbenefitnews) and use the hashtag #OnTheMove.

PRIDE Industries

PRIDE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise that provides facility operations and maintenance services, custodial services, contract manufacturing, supply chain management and fulfillment services to public and private organizations nationwide. The company is also one to the top leaders in the country for hiring employees with disabilities.

PRIDE has hired Robert Hines, a vocational rehabilitation professional, as their workforce development director for the organization's inclusive talent solutions business. In his role, Hines will grow and maintain partnerships to support the employment and training needs of businesses and people with disabilities, while providing leadership and strategy for the ITS line of business.

"Rob joins PRIDE at the perfect time. His knowledge and passion for creating sustainable employment for people with disabilities complements our seasoned team of VR professionals," Jeff Dern, CEO at PRIDE, said in a release. "At PRIDE, we aim to normalize workforce inclusion for people of all abilities. Rob's leadership experience in workforce development and VR systems will be invaluable as we expand our ITS operations throughout the country."

The Society for Human Resource Management

SHRM has appointed two new members to its board of directors for 2021. Scott Snell is the Frank Sands Sr. chair in business administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business. Dr. Susana Suarez Gonzales is the executive vice president, chief human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion officer of International Flavors and Fragrances.

“We're pleased to welcome Scott and Susana to SHRM’s board of directors. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in critically important areas, including leadership development, talent investment, culture and diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace,” SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor said in a release. “SHRM is fortunate to be able to tap the expertise Scott and Susana gained through deep research and operational experience with industry leading brands. Our members will benefit from their insights, especially during this challenging period.”

HealthJoy

The mobile application healthcare company has appointed Sajal Dam as chief information officer. Previously serving as the company’s vice president of engineering, Dam will lead the development and delivery of HealthJoy’s software products, he will also work to double his engineering team across Chicago, Ukraine, and some remote locations within the next two years.

“Sajal has had an exceptional challenge this year, moving our engineering team from monolithic development to parallel delivery amidst an entirely remote background. He has shouldered the responsibility of building enterprise-level software delivery within the organization,” HealthJoy CEO Justin Holland said in a release. “I’m excited about the advancements that Sajal will be leading for our technology organization and most of all, excited about what those advancements will mean for our members, customers, and partners.”

DarioHealth

The digital therapeutics company has appointed Chris Chan, as senior vice president of employer sales. Chan most recently served as chief marketing officer at SleepQuest and was a founding member of Mercer LABS, where he worked with employers to evaluate digital health startups. At DarioHealth, he will head up growth initiatives, supporting the company’s evolution to a B2B2C company.

"In his previous roles, [Chan] has been involved in the proliferation of some of the largest digital health interventions in the employer and payer markets,” Rick Anderson, president and general manager of North America, said in a release. “Chris has extensive expertise in bringing next-generation digital health products like ours to the large employer market and will be an asset to increase market penetration. We believe that Chris, along with our recently announced addition of Claudia Kraut as VP of broker and consultant partnerships, significantly strengthens our employer market team."

Naturally Slim

The weightloss and healthcare company has added two new members to its board of directors. Barbara Wachsman, former director of strategy and engagement for enterprise benefits for the Walt Disney Company, and Sarah Ahmad, senior vice president of health and wellness at Canada-based Shoppers Drug Mart, have come on board.

“Both of these remarkable women have impressive industry experience and truly understand not only the healthcare landscape but specific employer and consumer needs, as well,” Rob Butler, CEO of Naturally Slim, said in a release. “As we continue to evolve at Naturally Slim, it is critical that we are backed by a well-rounded, robust board of directors who have the proven experience and passion to support our company growth strategy. Their unique, new viewpoints will make an immediate and tremendous impact.”

Sweetwater

The musical instrument retailer has hired Dr. Kristal Walker as its first vice president of well-being for its people team. A 15-year learning, leadership and organizational development veteran, Walker will be responsible for managing the overall well-being portfolio and diversity and inclusion initiatives at Sweetwater, including working with the senior team to drive mental health initiatives and implementing special projects that support improving the holistic well-being of employees.

Dr. Walker believes that many organizations are going about defining wellness wrong, and looks to tie it into their formal employee benefit plans instead of looking for ways to make wellness a practical part of everyday work. She believes that one of the most important steps an employer can take to make a vast cultural difference is to give its employees permission to be vulnerable, which requires leaders in the company to be vulnerable and transparent about how they are feeling as well.