Smart WFM Appoints Workforce Management Veteran Pete Brabenec to Lead US as Expansion Continues

Company Targets Expanding the US Team Focusing on Manufacturing, Healthcare, Retail, and Government Sectors as Organisations Enter New Era of Modern People Innovation

Human capital management (HCM) consultancy, Smart WFM, announced the appointment of Pete Brabenec as its USA Lead. He will work closely with CEO Jarrod McGrath to build out the company’s customer base following its recent expansion in the region.

Joining from Accenture-owned Workforce Insight, where he served as Vice President of Services, Brabenec brings 20 years’ workforce management experience across the globe to the role. He was previously Vice President of Enterprise HCM at the US division of Presence of IT – which itself was acquired by Workforce Insight – and spent 12 years in a variety of manufacturing consulting roles at Kronos (now UKG).

HR Technology News: Workday Promotes Doug Robinson to Co-president and Barbara Larson to Chief Financial Officer

Brabenec worked with McGrath at Presence of IT and Kronos and the pair have long shared similar ambitions and approaches to people-first workforce management. He joins Carolyn Coplin, HCM Consultant at Smart WFM, who started working with the consultancy in August. They aim to further grow the team in the coming months and target opportunities in a variety of industries.

“Smart WFM has a unique vision and ability to put the workforce at the centre of workforce management,” said Brabenec.

“That should of course be the de facto standard, but the far-ranging issues we see across the sector – including underpayment, a lack of digitalisation and buy-in to digitalisation, and disconnect between people, processes, and technology – tell a different story. Smart WFM solves workforce challenges and creates opportunities like no others, and as companies adjust to a hybrid workforce, it’s a great time to join the journey Smart WFM is on.”

McGrath says Brabenec has both a unique approach and unmatched experience in workforce management leadership in the US, which will be instrumental to the company as it expands both there and across the globe. He will be part of the new global leadership team the company established following its recent expansion, which also saw Rob Scott promoted to Chief Operating Officer.

HR Technology News: 2021 CGS Learning Survey Reveals Ways to Reduce Employee Attrition During the ‘Great Resignation’

“I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Pete at a number of roles, but we’ve always stayed in touch due to our shared perspective on the industry,” said McGrath, who authored and recently launched The Digital Workforce 2nd Edition.

“There is a growing expectation that organisations digitalise their workforce management and human capital management structures in a way that aligns people, processes and technology. Peter understands the nuances that need to come together to make this happen, particularly in the manufacturing setting, and I’m thrilled that he’s joined the company at such a momentous time.”

The company is putting particular emphasis on manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and government, with Brabenec seeing a huge opportunity as a new generation of workers enters these sectors and brings a new mindset towards technology.

“Technology adoption has been slow in some of these industries, and even a sore point due to the disruption it’s brought to jobs,” he said. “But some, such as retail, are setting the global standard for digital workforce management. And new generations are bringing a new mindset – where they expect digitalisation and want to use it to evolve their roles. This speaks perfectly to Smart WFM’s ethos.”

Brabenec and Coplin are discussing these trends and Smart WFM’s US and global expansion plans at the 2021 UKG Works conference taking place in Las Vegas and virtually this week.

HR Technology News: GXO and DSA Workfit Partnership Welcomes 22nd Down Syndrome Recruit