GEO AWARD WINNERS 2026

Eaton is a seasoned professional serving as the Director of Executive Compensation & Equity at Seagate. With more than ten years of dedicated experience in executive compensation and equity administration, Eaton has honed her expertise in this specialized field. She is recognized for her proficiency in data analytics, a skill she leverages to propel HR practices into the realm of data-driven decision-making.

Eaton holds a Master’s degree in Data Analytics, augmenting her educational background with an MBA and a CPA license. Her academic achievements reflect her commitment to staying abreast of industry trends and equipping herself with the necessary tools to excel in her role.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Eaton finds joy in outdoor adventures, particularly skiing. She embraces the thrill of exploring different destinations worldwide in search of pristine snowscapes, embodying her adventurous spirit and love for travel.

Joseph Blasi is a Distinguished Professor  and sociologist at the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University. He recently served full-time and then part-time as an official in the U.S. Department of the Treasury as an advisor on employee share ownership. He teaches the undergraduate and graduate courses on employee equity compensation and corporate governance. His work includes the social and economic history of the corporation, particularly broad-based employee share ownership, equity compensation, profit sharing, and public policy in these area, in countries, in industries, for example, with a special focus on Silicon Valley, and in different historical periods of American history. He is also a Fellow of Kellogg College at Oxford University.

He has written 16 books including Employee Ownership (Harper and Row, 1988), The New Owners with D. Kruse (HarperCollins, 1991),   A Working Nation with various co-authors (Russell Sage Foundation, 2000), In The Company of Owners with D. Kruse and A. Bernstein (Basic Books, 2003),  Shared Capitalism at Work with D. Kruse and R. Freeman (University of Chicago Press, 2010), and The Citizen's Share (Yale University Press, 2013), the Oxford Handbook of Mutual, Co-operative, and Co-Owned Business with Jonathan Michie (Oxford University Pressm, 2017), Employee Share Ownership and Profit Sharing with Jonathan. Michie (Routledge, 2025 and 2026) His articles have appeared in the British Journal of Industrial Relations, Industrial Relations, The International Review of Applied Economics, and the Industrial and Labor Relations Review, among others.

Henk has overall responsibility for compensation, benefits and HRIS for the Bekaert group.

Bekaert is a world market and technology leader in steel wire transformation and coating technologies. It is a global company with 30,000 employees worldwide, headquarters in Belgium and € 4.8 billion in annual revenue.

Henk leads a central specialized team and regional teams in Europe, China, Latin-America and the United States, covering all aspects of compensation & benefits such as job grading, compensation, incentives, benefits, global mobility and share-based compensation.

Previously, Henk held leadership roles in compensation & benefits and equity compensation with Arthur Andersen, GE, Lernout & Hauspie, Ingram Micro and Johnson Controls.

Henk has a Law Degree from the University of Brussels and a master’s degree in Tax Law.

Rebecca Kargl is Senior Manager, Stock Administration at Upstart Holdings, where she leads the strategy, governance, and global administration of the company’s equity compensation programs. She partners closely with Executive Leadership, Legal, Finance, the People Organization, and external advisors to ensure equity programs align with corporate objectives, shareholder interests, and regulatory requirements, while maintaining operational excellence and scalable processes in a public company environment. Rebecca also oversees employee education and communications related to equity compensation, driving transparency, financial literacy, and engagement across the organization.  She brings deep expertise in equity plan administration, executive compensation support, accounting coordination, global compliance, and cross-functional governance, and has led equity operations through significant corporate events, including mergers and acquisitions.

Previously, she served as Senior Equity Manager at Zillow Group and held various roles in equity, payroll, and executive compensation at Concho Resources Inc. prior to its acquisition by ConocoPhillips. Rebecca began her career in public accounting as an auditor at Weaver.

Rebecca is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Equity Professional (CEP). She serves as President of the Dallas Chapter of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) and is an active member of the Global Equity Organization (GEO). She is both an NASPP Distinguished Equity Fellow (NDEF) and a GEO Fellow of Global Equity (FGE). Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Northwood University and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Tech University.

Michelle O’Donnell O’Hehir is an equity compensation leader with over 25 years of global experience managing stock plans, long‑term incentives, and executive compensation governance across more than 70 countries.

As Director of Global Equity at Organon, Michelle oversees all aspects of the company’s equity plan for more than 5,000 employees worldwide, ensuring operational excellence, tax and regulatory compliance, scalability, and strong employee engagement. Prior to joining Organon, she spent 20 years leading equity administration at PVH Corp.

A Certified Equity Professional (CEP Level 3) since 2015, Michelle brings deep expertise in equity program design, M&A‑related equity integration, and optimizing global equity programs in high‑growth and complex organizational environments. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from LSB College in Dublin, Ireland.

Julie has worked in the share plans industry for 20 years in both provider and issuer roles.  Having worked previously for the Abbey National building society,  and then Computershare as an Account Manager responsible for both existing client relationships and business development opportunities,  Julie moved to her first issuer role as an  interim in the share plan team at Kingfisher in 2014. 

In 2016, she joined The Sage Group plc, where she is now Director – Share Plans, responsible for the management of all the company’s equity plans including a  Global Employee Share plan in 17 countries supported by a team of two share plan specialists.  

Julie was appointed  as a GEO Fellow in December 2019, is a regular speaker at conferences and chapter events and  is the current Vice Chair of the Proshare Global Focus Group.

Claudia Yañez is a Total Rewards and executive compensation leader with nearly 20 years of experience advising public and private technology companies on compensation strategy, equity programs, and governance. She currently serves as Head of Total Rewards at NerdWallet, where she leads the company’s global compensation and benefits programs and partners with senior leadership and the Board on executive and equity compensation matters.

Prior to NerdWallet, Claudia was Senior Director of Total Rewards at SunPower Corporation, where she led compensation, benefits, and employee stock plan programs, including equity administration during a major corporate spin-off. She has extensive experience supporting U.S. and international compensation committees and designing equity programs that align employee incentives with long-term shareholder value.

Earlier in her career, Claudia held finance and accounting roles at Motorola and Freescale Semiconductor, gaining deep experience in cost accounting, financial analysis, and internal audit before transitioning into human capital and rewards strategy. Claudia holds a Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) from The University of Texas at Austin, with a specialization in Tax. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

She has been actively involved in the equity compensation community for many years as a past member of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) and a current member of the Texas Chapter leadership team of the Global Equity Organization (GEO). In 2020, she was named a Fellow of Global Equity (FGE) in recognition of her contributions to the field. 

Claudia has spoken at numerous industry conferences, including GEO’s National Equity Compensation Forum (NECF), international GEO conferences, and the European Stock Ownership Centre Conference. Earlier in her career, she received Honorable Mention in the
2009 GEO Awards for Best Use of Technology for a stock option exchange portal.

Geri is a seasoned Share Plan Professional of 20 years, now working in the Global Reward Team at The Coca-Cola Company.

She is experienced in the design, implementation management and delivery of change across a wide range of employee share plans. 

Most recently, Geri has led the design of the new Coca-Cola Global ESPP, including a comprehensive communication plan to foster employee education and engagement. Geri lives with her daughter in South London.

She enjoys sport, playing the drums, and cryptic crosswords.