Benefits. Are We Keeping Up to Our Standards?
Thursday June 4, 2026 14:00 - 15:30 CEST CARDO BRUSSELS, AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION
Speakers: Keletso Newton, Laura Blickman-Huji, Ron SteijnCategory: Day 1
COVID exposed the fragility of a strategy of "market-related" benefits when our people and their families actually needed life and medical cover. This session explores how progressive organisations have been implementing global minimum standards for their benefit provisions including wellbeing and sharing their stories of what works and what fails when local taxes, state provision, cost constraints and competitiveness collide.
Lecturers
Keletso Newton SpeakerPartner
Senior Director, Integrated and Global Solutions
WTW
Keletso is a Senior Director in WTW’s Integrated and Global Solutions team, currently leading the Netherlands practice after having lived and worked in both the UK and the US. With over 15 years of experience, she partners with multinational organizations at the headquarters level to develop and implement strategic solutions across international employee benefits and total rewards.
Her expertise spans due diligence and integration for mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; retirement benefit design and readiness; and pension accounting consolidation and financial reporting for global retirement and post-employment plans. She has significant experience shaping global governance frameworks, including the development of benefit strategies, philosophies, and approval processes. Keletso also advises on benefit inventory and benchmarking, legislative compliance, and provides ongoing strategic support on the administration and delivery of employee benefit programs.
In addition, she has led initiatives in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, such as establishing global minimum standards and guiding principles for parental and maternity leave and has driven comprehensive global wellbeing strategies across emotional, physical, social, and financial pillars.
Laura Blickman-Huji Speaker
HR Director, Global Benefits & Wellbeing
Procter & Gamble
Laura Blickman-Huij is the HR Director for Global Benefits & Wellbeing at Procter & Gamble. She has over 17 years of broad experience in various HR roles including HR Business Partner, Talent Acquisition Specialist, Talent Development Leader, as well as positions in HR Services & Solutions and Total Rewards.
As a qualified executive coach at P&G, Laura is committed to improving employee wellbeing and development. She is also a certified trainer for Covey Franklin's "7 Habits," emphasizing the importance of cultivating a culture of growth and personal leadership. Laura is committed to providing tailored support that inspires, values, and cares for employees at all life stages, offering packages that can be tailored to their unique needs.
Ron Steijn Speaker
Head of Compensation & Benefits
Hitachi Energy Holdings Ltd.
Ron Steijn is the Head of Compensation & Benefits at Hitachi Energy, based in Zurich. He is a global expert in reward strategy, executive compensation and benefits, known for combining strategic clarity with pragmatic, people-focused execution.
He has held senior leadership roles across HR and Finance in Hitachi Energy, ABB, and Dow, building a broad inter-national perspective. He is recognized for driving harmonized reward frameworks that support business performance and long-term employee engagement.
Beyond his corporate work, Ron has extensive governance experience. He previously served as chair of a major not-for-profit institution and currently chairs large pension plans in Switzerland.