WorldatWork staff and speaker bureau members are experts in the field of Rewards and are available for media interviews and speaking engagements. Below is a list of available speakers and topics. A nominal honorarium to the Association is required for speaking engagements.
To book any of these individuals or other WorldatWork affiliated experts, please click here to submit the request form.
Scott Cawood is President and CEO of WorldatWork and its affiliate organization, WorldatWork Society of Certified Professionals
Prior to joining WorldatWork, Cawood was Global Leader, Organizational Effectiveness at W.L. Gore & Associates Inc., a global manufacturer with 10,000 employees. At Gore, he led the organizational efforts to achieve the enterprise strategy, including maximizing associate engagement and aligning the culture with critical business priorities.
He served as president at Synygy, a global compensation and sales software company, prior to his time at Gore. Before he was president of Synygy, he served as its chief operations and people officer. Cawood also has held senior leadership positions at Revlon and the Great Place to Work Institute, which selects Fortune magazine's 100 Best Places to Work.
Cawood holds an M.S. in education and Ed.D. in organization- and work-based learning from the Wharton School of Business and the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his M.A. in labor and industrial relations and his B.A. in organizational communication, with a minor in education, from Michigan State University.
Professional Designations/Accreditations:
Certified Compensation Professional (CCP)
Global Remuneration Professional (GRP)
Education:
Ed.D. in Organization- and Work-based learning from the Wharton School of Business and the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania
M.S. in Education from the Wharton School of Business and the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania
M.A. in Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University
B.A. in Organizational Communication, with a minor in Education from Michigan State University
Susan is the Senior Director, Compensation at Siemens, a global powerhouse Siemens is a global powerhouse focused on innovative solutions in electrification, automation and digitalization. She is responsible for Siemens North America compensation programs, spanning rewards & recognition, employee pay, incentive compensation and equity compensation. Internal equity for this 50,000+ employee population has been a focus for Susan over her Siemens career, extending naturally into the increasing focus on equal pay and gender pay gap areas. Prior to Siemens, Susan spent 14 years at Mercer HR Consulting, developing a long-term career path there, from Compensation Analyst to Project Manager to Principal. Susan worked in the Washington DC, Melbourne Australia, and New York City offices, working on salary management projects, job hierarchy, incentive compensation design, sales effectiveness, and performance management programs. Susan is a long-time WorldatWork member, is GRP certified, and currently serves as a Board member of the WorldatWork Society Board. Prior to her work with the board, she served on the Compensation Advisory Council as a member and Chairperson. She holds a Bachelors degree from Cornell University, and a Masters of Business Administration from University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Dr Bussin is the Chairperson of 21 st Century, a specialist reward and HR consultancy employing nearly 50 deep technical specialists. He has experience across all industry sectors and is viewed as a thought leader in the HR and remuneration arena. He serves on and advises numerous boards, audit and remuneration committeeâs and has consulted in many countries. Mark holds a Doctorate in Commerce and has published or presented 65 academic articles and over 450 popular papers and has appeared on television and radio, and in the press for expert views. Mark has been a guest lecturer at several academic institutions and supervises Master's and Doctoral thesis. He is an EXCO member of SARA (South African Reward Association) and is a Global Reward Practitioner (GRP) tutor. As a past commissioner in the Presidency, he advised on the Remuneration and conditions of employment for the President, Deputy, Ministers, Judges, Magistrates, Parliament and Traditional Leaders.
Mihai has 20 years of experience in sales and incentive compensation, global operations and sales performance technology. Before joining WorldatWork, he was Executive Vice President of Services and Managing Director at Optymyze, a sales performance management company, where he led large global teams (250+) in Europe and Asia as well as in the United States. Based in Warsaw, Poland, Mihai spends a significant amount of time at WorldatWork headquarters in Scottsdale, as well as visiting partners and customers around the world.
Brit Wittman is the Corporate Vice President of Total Rewards at Applied Materials. He is responsible for all aspects of Total Rewards including compensation, benefits and wellness. Brit works with the HR Leadership Team to help define the people strategy for the enterprise, manages the relationship with the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors and is the liaison with institutional shareholders on issues related to executive compensation and benefits. He is a member of the WorldatWork faculty and serves as chair of the WorldatWork Society of Certified Professionals Board.
Marta is Content Director for WorldatWork and a subject matter expert on Total Rewards strategy. In her role, Marta collaborates with Total Rewards experts globally to identify emerging trends and address challenges in the profession. She develops content for WorldatWork’s members to advance their professional growth – via education and certification programs, thought leadership, research, advocacy, and idea exchange. Marta’s 25+ years as an HR professional included executive positions in a variety of industries including technology, professional services, financial services, and healthcare. As a Total Rewards leader, she has guided strategies to maximize the impact broad-based compensation, benefits, executive compensation, sales compensation, and work-life programs have on business performance.
Deirdre Macbeth, Esq. is Content Director for WorldatWork specializing in Total Rewards/HR compliance and regulatory matters. She is a versatile legal and human resources leader and active member of the Florida State Bar. Prior to joining WorldatWork, she served in executive and senior leadership “dual hat” legal and HR roles for privately-held organizations and previously worked as an attorney in private practice specializing in labor & employment, corporate and contract law.
Alicia Scott-Wears is a Total Rewards leader with 20+ years of experience in mid-sized and large organizations in the technology, automotive, and medical manufacturing sectors. Her technical expertise is centered on base and variable compensation, benefits, recognition, global mobility, and HR systems. As a Content Director for WorldatWork, she sets priorities for the association’s content and product coverage, and develops strategic partnerships to elevate knowledge and learning within the profession. With a passion for hands-on leadership, Alicia brings a pragmatic focus to aligning reward strategies with organizational values and goals. She’s skilled in delivering comprehensive and progressive rewards support in multi-national environments alongside exceptional employee experiences.
Dr. Fermin Diez has ample experience in human resources, including consulting, and corporate and academic roles in 40 countries on all continents.
As a consultant he has advised major multinationals, large local companies and public sector organizations at the board and C-suite levels. He has managed the profit and loss in several geographical locations and businesses. As an HR leader, he has been regional head of HR for two large multinational corporations in AsiaPac and in Latin America.
Diez is currently Deputy CEO and Group Head of Human Resources for Singapore’s National Council for Social Service. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at Singapore Management University and at Nanyang Technological University and is co-author of three books: “Human Capital and Global Business Strategy,” “The Remuneration Handbook: International Edition,” and “Fundamentals of HR Analytics.” Diez has taught WorldatWork courses for over 20 years in the United States, Puerto Rico, Australia, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, India, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Diez served on the Jurong Health Systems Board, and its HR Committee. He was also a member of the HR Committee at the National University Health System Group. Diez served on the Singapore Management University Business School Advisory Board, Taylor’s Education Group Advisory Board, the Children's Cancer Foundation Board and the Board of Directors of WorldatWork, where he is currently on the Global Advisory Council. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of HR Professionals, where he chairs the Assessments and Insights Committee and is Dean of HR Education. He is also a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Directors. Diez obtained his Ph.D. from Singapore Management University, his MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Michigan. Diez was named a Top HR influencer in Asia. He is a frequent speaker at regional and global forums on compensation, strategic HR, talent management and development, career planning, mergers and acquisitions from an HR perspective, building teams, global HR, education, public sector HR practices and HR analytics.
Sal DiFonzo is a Vice President in Segal’s Phoenix office. He has 25+ years of experience in compensation assessment, design, and implementation. DiFonzo assists organizations with converting from wholly discretionary programs to structured incentive programs.
DiFonzo leads Segal’s Built Environment industry vertical. He assists clients in higher education, not for profit, high technology, pharmaceuticals, biotech, medical devices, manufacturing, telecommunications, aerospace, financial services and banking.
Prior to Segal, DiFonzo was Managing Director of the compensation business unit of FMI Corporation, which provides management consulting and investment banking services to the engineering and construction industry. He was an independent compensation consultant with clients in privately held and publicly traded companies and worked Honeywell and Eli Lilly.
DiFonzo is a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), a Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) and a Certified Sales Compensation Professional (CSCP) and serves on the WorldatWork Compensation Advisory Council. He earned an MS in human resource management from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s in economics/business and psychology from Cornell College. DiFonzo authored the book, “Designing Effective Incentive Compensation Plans,” and numerous articles and speeches on compensation and incentive planning.
Anukriti Kumar has nearly a decade of experience in Total Rewards across multiple industries and geographies, including for consulting, life sciences and agriculture organizations. As a consultant, she works closely with the manufacturing and service industries, in particular traditional and green energy, real estate infrastructure and hospitality, and cement. She helped set up the pro bono practice for Aon India, the in-house learning platform for consultants, and was editor of the quarterly Rewards magazine. She has worked extensively across the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and has built job architecture frameworks, total rewards strategies, and incentive programs with global scope. She is closely associated with WorldAtWork as an author of articles and conference speaker. She earned a Master’s in Human Resource Management and Labor Relations from Tata Institute of Social Science, in Mumbai. Kumar believes most of her learning has come from interacting with people from different cultures. When not designing rewards for companies, Kumar can be found rewarding herself with a good book, an adrenaline filled adventure, and a bruised passport.
Robin Norton is Vice President, Human Resources for CTI Resource Management Services, Inc. (CTI), in Jacksonville, Florida. Norton is responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of all HR functions, as well as corporate communications responsibilities for the organization. CTI has been named one of the “Best Companies to Work for in Florida” by Florida Trend Magazine in seven of the last eight years which Norton takes great pride in.
Norton’s professional background is diverse covering all major areas of HR including compensation, benefits, diversity, management and leadership training, organizational development, and Equal Employment Opportunity. Norton began her HR career with CSX Corporation in Jacksonville, Florida, and spent 20 years with the organization. She provided HR senior executive and partnership guidance to all subsidiary companies of CSX as Assistant Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations.
Since 2003, Norton has taught graduate level HR classes at Webster University. She is also a WorldatWork faculty member and teaches required compensation and benefits courses to HR professionals seeking the prestigious Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Certified Benefits professional certifications.
Norton has been awarded the 2013 Ultimate HR Executive of Northeast Florida from the Jacksonville Business Journal; 2012 Professor of the Year by Webster University; the 2010 HR Professional of the Year award from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM); and 2009 Trainer of the Year from the University of North Florida.
Norton earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and her master’s degree from Central Michigan University.
Athar Siddiqee is Vice President of Global Total Rewards at Micron Technology, a $30 billion, 45,000-employee, high-tech firm. He has extensive experience in this field, having served in Total Rewards leadership positions at Cisco, Synopsys, SanDisk and Xilinx, among others.
A life-long Bay Area resident, Siddiqee earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Mathematics/Economics and an MBA from Santa Clara University. In addition, he is a current member of the WorldatWork Executive Rewards Advisory Council and has taught professional courses at WorldatWork, UC Santa Cruz Extension, and San Jose State University for many years.
Finally, despite failing numerous times, Siddiqee continues to pursue his personal goal of becoming a stand-up comedian. He lives with his wife, son and daughter in Sunnyvale, California. Even they don't think he's funny.
