HR Research Institute Forms Advisory Board to Guide Future of Compensation Strategies

The HR Research Institute (HRRI) has announced the formation of HR.com's Future of Compensation and Total Rewards Advisory Board, comprising industry experts who will help HR professionals optimize one of the most critical and rapidly evolving areas of talent management. This panel will guide an upcoming research study and virtual event on the future of compensation and total rewards, providing HR leaders with actionable takeaways to attract, retain, and engage talent in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Total rewards—the combination of pay, benefits, and other rewards employees receive—has long been a cornerstone of HR strategy. As competition for talent intensifies, leading employers are rethinking traditional approaches, personalizing offerings, and tying pay more closely to performance. The advisory board's formation comes at a crucial time when organizations face unprecedented challenges in retaining top talent while managing compensation costs effectively.

The newly appointed Future of Compensation and Total Rewards 2025 Advisory Board includes prominent industry thought leaders such as Supriya Bahri, Vice President of Global Total Rewards at Roblox, Wally Brown, Total Rewards Manager at UC Health, and Adam Chmielewski, VP of People at Carbon Health. Other members include Danielle DuBois from Dairy Queen, Emily DuPont from NFI Industries, Chris Fusco from Salary.com, Gail Greenfield from Trusaic, Tom McMullen from Korn Ferry, Mara Notarfonzo from CAA, Marty Reaume, Kerrian Soong from Bridgewater Associates, and Vanita Tyagi from Empyrean.

Debbie McGrath, CEO of HR.com, emphasized the strategic importance of this initiative, stating that compensation and total rewards are no longer just about market rates but about shaping an employee experience that drives performance, loyalty, and engagement. The advisory board will help HR professionals understand current effective practices and prepare for upcoming changes in the compensation landscape.

The HR Research Institute releases annual State of the Industry reports in various HR topic areas, including the recent HR.com's Future of Compensation and Total Rewards 2024-25 research report available at https://hr.com/researchinstitute. These resources provide valuable insights based on surveys developed with assistance from thought leaders and industry experts on advisory boards, helping more than 2 million HR professionals make strategic decisions with informed research findings.

The upcoming virtual event on November 19, 2025, will serve as a platform for sharing the advisory board's insights and research findings, offering HR professionals practical strategies for adapting to the changing compensation environment. This initiative represents a significant step toward addressing the complex challenges facing organizations in designing competitive and sustainable total rewards packages that meet evolving employee expectations and business needs.