Building Benefits that Actually Work: Stephanie Brogan on HR Strategy, M&A, and Real-World Compensation

In this episode of Beyond the Offer, hosts Bill Gates and Rosanna Snediker sit down with Stephanie Brogan, Founder of Pivotal HR Partners, to talk shop about HR operations, compensation, and building benefit strategies that actually move the needle. With experience leading Total Rewards and HR at companies like Campbell Soup, Morton Salt, and Revantage (a Blackstone company), Stephanie shares what it takes to build people-first systems without losing sight of business results.

Whether you’re a CHRO navigating M&A, a founder scaling benefits on a budget, or an HR leader juggling compensation compliance, Stephanie offers actionable insights rooted in two decades of hands-on experience.

From Insurance Electives to HR Leadership

Stephanie’s journey into HR began with an unlikely combination: a marketing and insurance background from Penn State. Her practical approach to education—taking insurance classes to understand her own benefits—sparked a career that led from employee benefits brokerage to executive HR roles and, eventually, entrepreneurship. The foundation of her approach? Learn the business first.

“The best HR leaders really understand the financials. That makes you a better partner.”

Founding Pivotal HR Partners: Implementation Over Ideation

After leading HR at multiple household names, Stephanie launched Pivotal HR Partners to offer consulting in Total Rewards, HR operations, and M&A. What sets her apart is a laser focus on implementable solutions, not just strategy decks.

Her services include:

• Broad-based and sales compensation design
• Benefits strategy and vendor evaluation
• Interim HR leadership
• Operational process improvement
• M&A diligence and integration

“I care very deeply about implementation. It has to work in real life—not just in theory.”

Benefits Design that Aligns with Business Strategy

Stephanie walks through how she evaluates and modernizes benefits, starting not with perks, but with purpose. The key question: What are we trying to solve?

Common drivers for benefits reevaluation include:

• Negative employee feedback or offer declines
• Rising employer and employee healthcare costs
• Pressure to modernize (e.g., parental leave, mental health, gym memberships)

Stephanie advises clients to avoid rolling out benefits they can’t measure. A gym membership may sound great, but if it doesn’t reduce healthcare costs or boost engagement measurably, it’s often not worth the spend.

“We rarely explain the business side of benefits. But employees deserve that context.”

What’s Actually New in Benefits?

The landscape hasn’t changed dramatically, but how companies approach design has. Stephanie highlights trends like:

• Coverage for weight-loss drugs (e.g., Ozempic)
• Expanding mental health services
• Creative plan design that drives real outcomes

Compensation Complexity: Transparency and Equity

Pay transparency laws are changing the game, especially in states like New York, California, and soon Illinois. Stephanie notes the real challenge isn’t posting salary bands—it’s aligning internal compensation to match them.

“The analysis is easy. It’s finding the money that’s hard.”

She also discusses geographic pay strategies for remote workforces and how companies differ in their approach to cost-of-living adjustments.

Integration After Mergers and Acquisitions

With a deep background in M&A, Stephanie shares her playbook for HR integration:

• Integrate fast, or risk alienating teams
• Prioritize cultural alignment and first impressions
• Get pay and benefits right from day one
• Be transparent—even when it’s uncomfortable

“That first impression sets the tone for everything that comes after.”

HR Ops Mistakes (and Fixes)

According to Stephanie, the most common mistake in HR operations is failing to regularly reassess. Teams get buried in tasks and forget to step back and ask: Could we do this better?

Solutions include:

• Automating manual work with tools already in use (like Microsoft 365)
• Rethinking legacy processes
• Focusing HR bandwidth on strategic vs. reactive work

Advice for Aspiring HR Consultants

Stephanie encourages future solopreneurs to:

• Learn the business side of consulting
• Talk to others who’ve done it
• Know the difference between being a great HR leader and running a business

“It’s not all rainbows and sunshine. You’re also running your own company.”

Key Takeaways from Episode 8

• HR must start with business acumen, not just good intentions.
• Employee feedback is helpful, but it needs to be paired with measurable outcomes.
• Benefits and compensation must align with both engagement and economics.
• Integration post-M&A requires speed, empathy, and operational rigor.
• Consultants succeed when their solutions can be implemented by in-house teams.

Listen to the Full Episode

To dive deeper into compensation strategy, benefits transformation, HR operations, and navigating acquisitions, listen to the full episode of Beyond the Offer featuring Stephanie Brogan on Talent Insights by Hirewell.