Four global health benefits experts on their key priorities for 2026
From managing global benefits costs and building employee trust, to putting in place the governance, data and delivery structures to meet workforce needs across markets, managing multinational health and wellbeing is no small task.
For the first time REBA Congress, taking place on 18 June in London, will feature a global benefits stream to support multinational benefits leaders with the many challenges they face.
Delegates will be given the opportunity to visit the multinational lounge – a dedicated area with four networking zones covering Europe, APAC, the Middle East & Africa, and the Americas.
Ahead of REBA Congress four senior reward and benefits leaders, who will help to facilitate the multinational networking lounge, spoke to REBA about their key challenges.
“Our primary challenge for 2026 is balancing continued cost pressure with the need to deliver reward and benefit programmes that genuinely support employee trust, engagement and long-term financial security.
“In response, we are focusing on using reward more intentionally by increasing access to practical financial education and embedding greater pay transparency across Europe.
“By helping employees better understand their pay and benefits, make more informed financial decisions, and trust the fairness of our reward framework, we are strengthening engagement and sustainability while ensuring our investment delivers measurable value for both our people and the firm,” said Hollands.
Debs Hollands
“In line with DHL Group’s Business Strategy 2030 to ‘promote the health and wellbeing of our people’, we are aiming for more and more of our local business entities to adopt our health risk engineering framework to sustainably improve our people’s health, materially reduce healthcare cost increases and contribute to an increase in productivity,” said Helmbold.
Matthias Helmbold
“For PMI, the defining global challenge in 2026 is building the right operating model behind our health and benefits ambition. It’s no longer just about designing good solutions – it’s about putting in place the governance, data, funding and delivery structures that allow us to manage complexity, scale preventive health, and respond to very different employee needs across markets.
“Getting this right is essential if we want our health strategy, global core benefits standards and captive solutions to genuinely improve employee experience, health outcomes and long-term sustainability, rather than remain well intended concepts on paper,” said Mazetti.
Fabio Mazetti
“The number one challenge for us is how to protect our key medical and insurance benefits amidst rapid price increases. And how to best engage non-digital workers with their benefits, in a world where comms is becoming more digital and AI-driven.”
Doreen Bos
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, REBA
Supporting the reward and benefits community to pursue best practice and drive excellence in their strategies
