Employee Benefit News brought together a select group of senior marketing leaders on June 16 during SHRM26 in Orlando for an invitation-only CMO Peer Roundtable Lunch focused on the trends reshaping marketing across employee benefits, HR technology, workforce solutions, and the broader future of work ecosystem.
Hosted by Whitney Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer at Arizent, publisher of Employee Benefit News; Sean Matthews, Vice President, Sales, Employee Benefit News; and Kris Kadel, Strategic Account Director, Employee Benefit News, the private, off-the-record gathering created an opportunity for executives to engage in candid, peer-to-peer conversation around the opportunities and challenges facing today's marketing organizations.
Attendees represented a curated mix of organizations across employee benefits, HR technology, workforce solutions, employee wellness, financial wellness, insurtech, compliance training, and workplace engagement, including Inspira Financial, Sage, eGain Corporation, Lyra Health, Betterfly, Nectar, Traliant, Ramsey SmartDollar, Rain, ComPsych, Life Force Wellness, Acorn, Life Claim, EBG Solutions, Employee Network, Inc., and Previ.
The discussion covered a range of topics currently shaping the industry, including:
- 🔎 How the decline of traditional search and the rise of AI-driven discovery are changing the way buyers find and evaluate solutions
- The evolving role of AI in marketing, content development, and go-to-market strategy
- Building differentiated content that earns trust, supports education, and helps drive pipeline
- Navigating increasingly complex HR and employee benefits buying journeys
- Strengthening employer brand, audience engagement, and relationship-driven marketing
- Standing out in a crowded HR technology and benefits marketplace
- Measuring marketing's impact on pipeline, revenue, and business growth
- 🤝 Rethinking event strategies, executive communities, and peer-to-peer engagement
As the pace of change across employee benefits, HR technology, workforce solutions, and workplace engagement continues to accelerate, participants shared perspectives, challenges, and best practices from their own organizations while exploring how marketing leaders can adapt, strengthen trust, and create competitive advantage.
The conversation reflected one of the core themes emerging across the industry today: while AI, digital discovery, and buying behavior continue to evolve quickly, meaningful relationships, trusted content, and authentic peer-to-peer engagement remain essential drivers of growth.
Employee Benefit News would like to thank all of the executives who joined the conversation and helped make the roundtable a success. We look forward to continuing these discussions through future executive events, peer roundtables, and industry gatherings.
Thank you again to everyone who joined us during SHRM26 and contributed to such a thoughtful and engaging conversation.
Interested in partnering with Arizent on a similar executive roundtable or leadership discussion? We'd love to connect. Please email Amy Hamm.
