Rising Stars of the Profession 2021: Robert Berkowitz

Bobby Berkowitz has established a new service offering at KPMG related to HR transformation at the time of a public offering.  He has led the development of tools, methodologies, and marketing materials to sell and deliver on numerous HR-related engagements for his client's public offerings within the last 18 months (which has expanded to be more well-rounded for HR from just a focus on executive compensation benchmarking and design in the years prior.)

The framework supports initiatives across 5 areas that HR typically will lead or support at the company which includes, workforce planning, total rewards, executive compensation disclosures, HR governance and technology, and culture and communications. For workforce planning, he has created a partnership with a third-party data analytics firm (Revelio Labs) to understand peer hiring practices leading up to and shortly following an IPO.

When asked how he became a consultant, Bobby responds, "Following a degree in Psychology and Economics, I targeted a profession within Human Resources. Following an internship that focused on Compensation & Benefits for a Health System, I started applying for full-time compensation consulting roles and landed at Pearl Meyer, a boutique executive compensation consulting firm. Since then, I continued my consulting career with KPMG as part of their growing People Strategy team that specializes in M&A, IPOs, SPACs, and performance improvement initiatives. The ability to interact with so many different companies, HR professionals, and executives to experience different perspectives has kept me engaged and enjoying the consulting world."

Bobby notes he is particularly proud of the success of the overall KPMG People Strategy team. He goes on to say, "As one of the first 15 members of the team, I have helped and watched our team grow significantly to plug in seamlessly with our colleagues across not only the M&A diligence and execution space but also the capital market readiness group. Internal networking has often been just as important as external networking as our team has established ourselves as part of the value proposition to our clients to provide end-to-end service and deep functional expertise during significant transactions and public offerings. We have been able to support many successful M&A integrations, separations, and public offerings that establish us as leaders in the marketplace."

Crediting "A combination of luck, timing, hard work, and the right mentors," as critical to his success to date,  Bobby adds, "Specifically, Greg Kopp, has been an essential part of my development through his formal and informal training over the years. The trust I have gained from him and other leaders at KPMG has allowed me to take on a lead role in tackling unique client issues and building a unique offering at KPMG to support our clients."

What excites Bobby most about his consulting career is, "Making lifelong connections with colleagues and clients. Specifically, helping clients achieve a public offering and being able to see my clients' excitement and satisfaction at the time of the offering. There is a lot of hard work that goes into making an IPO or SPAC transaction successful. Employees or even some executives may not realize all of the value HR can provide during the run-up to a public offering (or even during an M&A integration) but I enjoy helping my HR clients earn and maintain a seat at the table for the current business initiative and future company milestones."

What does winning a Rising Stars of the Profession award mean to you?

It is incredibly powerful to be recognized for all of the hard work and long hours that I have put into my work thus far in my career. There is something extra special about being recognized outside of your own firm or immediate team. This award provides a form of validation that the partnership with my various clients has been recognized, enjoyed, and ultimately valued. I always strive to be the best that I can be and this award allows me to celebrate my accomplishments thus far and continue to motivate me to provide customized and thoughtful partnership to all of my clients and colleagues into the future.