KELLY ANN RUSSO

• Company Overview: US MNC|IPO 1500ees| Natural Gas and Shipping
• Led the new domestic, global, and maritime Total Rewards team, program designs, and glide paths for entities during the hyper-growth and pre-IPO period
• Delivered highly competitive program pricing with multi-million-dollar cost savings; selected domestic and global brokers and vendors, led contracts and negotiations, conducted audits resulting in upgraded service teams
• Concurrently led large domestic and global accelerated timeline projects:compliance, RFPs, RFIs, implementations of new or enhanced benefit plans, leaves, retirement, compensation, mobility programs
• Established compensation benchmarking and data analysis proposals and processes that provided enhanced job architecture, new role package proposal frameworks, and stakeholder non-exempt/exempt status solutions
• Led change management efforts: new open enrollments and fair site visits, health, well-being, financial communications, and events, including the development of new guides, vendor materials, presentations, webinars, and an employee self-service portal
• Partnered with HRIS/IT and leadership on HCM, benefits and compensation systems RFP, vendor and partner selections, and new employee case tracking system
• Recruited, evaluated, and coached team members; promoted a culture of innovation, contribution of ideas, and operational efficiency outcomes

• Company Overview: Japan MNC|US 1000 ees|Wholesale Distributor/Retail
• Led corporate and 13 national subsidiaries' Total Reward team, strategies, administration inclusive of benefits, wellness, retirement, leaves, and workers' compensation, compensation, commissions, bonuses, merit cycles, fleet, and perks, and bi-weekly payrolls
• Harmonized subsidiaries to self-funded health/RX and HMO plans, ancillary, EAP and COBRA programs; led leave outsourcing and STD, LTD disability and PFL programs RFP and selection
• Led, coached, and mentored team members
• Partnered with brokers, vendors, and leaders on budgets and harmonization of cost shares
• Led new open enrollment and wellness programs and teams, including systems, ADP payroll feeds, marketing, communications materials, presentations, webinars, and employee self-service site
• Conducted compliance and audit projects for payroll, Workers' Compensation, fleet, 401(k), non-discrimination testing, and revised policies, and procedures for compliance and operational efficiencies

• Company Overview: Korea MNC|Start-up 700ees|eVTOL Urban Air Mobility
• Led the start-up of new Total Rewards Team, strategy, administration, compliance frameworks, and implementation of new benefits, wellbeing, retirement, perks, mobility, relocation, compensation, bonus and merit cycle, performance, and Workforce Now national bi-weekly payrolls
• Managed RFPs, broker and vendor relationships, negotiations, contracting, budgets, and cost analysis
• Short project timelines included design and implementations of new HR and Total Rewards systems, robust benefits and perks, relocation, 401k programs and asset transfers
• Managed Total Rewards payroll compliance and audits; spearheaded new 401(k) plan fiduciary governance and partnerships with legal counsel and advisors
• Conducted new employee roundtable, focus groups and change management discussions; led data analysis and proposals to leadership; implemented new programs, policies, procedures, and employee self-services

• Company Overview: UK MNC|Start-up NA 3600ees|Marketing, AI/Accelerated sale December 5, 2019
• WPP to private equity company, Bain Capital
• Successfully led benefit and retirement programs accelerated spin-out and set-up inclusive of designs, strategies, RFPs, project implementations, compliance, and administration for U.S., Puerto
• Rico, and Canada
• Successfully project led new 401k and SERP along with over $350M in asset transfers in 8 weeks, inclusive of communications and webinars
• Led self-funded health/RX, and comprehensive employer and employee benefits, and perks for US
• Canada, and Puerto Rico; partnered with corporate UK and senior leadership teams, M&A finance, legal, broker, and vendor stakeholders on contracts, budget cost analyses and implementations
• Established domestic and global governance and compliance committees for retirement, health, and well-being; presented and received leadership approval for new self-funding, stop-loss, claims
• SERPS, 401(k), DB, DC, DCPP, RRSP, DPSP programs

• Company Overview: US MNC|15000ees|Conglomerate-Hotels, Insurance, Pipeline, Drilling, Plastics
• Provided leadership, governance of new or enhanced benefits, and retirement programs for corporate & enterprise portfolio
• Delivered over $1.8M in savings by leading vendor management RFP designs, strategy, and contract negotiations of self-funded health, RX, ASO, and Stop Loss, led disability and leave RFI strategies for administration outsourcing
• Collaborated with partners and vendors on new HCM Workday system; led successes on Benefit and
• Time & Attendance modules, vendor files, testing and resolution of technical issues and process improvements
• Created new efficient policies and procedures, employee communications, open enrollment, wellness and incentives, paid family leave, on/off boarding programs, and partnered with
• HRBP/legal for the new employee handbook and severance plan
• Restructured wellness and incentive strategies and campaigns; achieved American Heart
• Association's Employer Wellness Program Gold Status
• Successfully led vendor management and broker strategic analysis proposals to SLT: health/RX, executive rewards, retirement (DB/BEP/Cash Balance, 401k), wellness, incentives, cost shares, severance, PTO, and leave programs
• Spearheaded the corporate benefits administrative team restructure resulting in cost and process efficiencies

• Company Overview: US MNC|60000ees|Health, EAP, Disability, Life, Voluntary Insurances
• Total of 6 years with Aetna: 3 years in Large Market National Employer Operations during college
• Nominated: Aetna Excellence Award
• Managed benefit matrixed project teams and vendors on the HR Shared Services Total Rewards
• Team; designed, implemented, and administered benefits for active, retiree, BOD, and global expatriates
• Successfully led /co-led two tight timeline new benefit vendor systems workstream designs and implementations (BenefitFocus and Bswift); led open enrollments and out-of-the-box communications, including new intranet and micro-sites, guides, SPDs, e-books, videos, webinars, and social media, improving employee experiences
• Managed benefit programs along with global mobility benefit issues, vendors, policy enhancements and efficiencies, escalations – CDHP, ACOs, dental, vision, HSA, HRA, FSAs, legal, theft, STD, LTD, life, voluntary, incentives, biometrics, wellness, commuter, COBRA
• Solutioned for compliance, non-discrimination testing, ACA, and M&A integration issues
• Improved employee experiences by partnering with Compensation Team on design and delivery of executive compensation LTIP e-books, and videos
• Conducted benefit surveys, focus groups; analytics, led enhancement proposals to leadership
• Pre

• Created start-ups: Seoul, South Korea - Global/International healthcare and business to business corporation | Hartford, CT - 501(c)(3) Korean and culture educational school

• Drafted client plan materials, multi-million dollar funding waiver researching IRS Tax Code, Revenue Procedures, Treasury and DOL Regulations, ERISA, HIPAA, healthcare, and retirement guidelines.

• Led union and non-union benefits management and administration, ESPP, 401(k) plans, budgets, open enrollments.
• Key leader 12 mergers and acquisitions, due diligence asset and stock, integrations, 401(k) asset transfers, and compliance resolutions with the IRS/DOL.
• Key leader national benefit plans RFP, harmonization and implementation for 20,000 employees.