Vanessa Longnecker serves as Senior Vice President of Employee Benefits and National Director of Strategic Development at Hays Companies, an Employee Benefit and Risk Management Consultancy Firm headquartered in Minneapolis, MN serving client needs across the globe.
Vanessa joined Hays Companies in 1999 and boasts tenure in assisting clients in all facets of the benefit portfolio, human capital risk management and tech delivery process. As the National Director of Strategic Development, Vanessa leads HCM technology platform strategy, is the frontline to industry partnership alignments and spearheads marketplace due diligence as well as ongoing education efforts to the field and community alike. Vanessa is committed to developing industry leading solutions for best in class client delivery amidst a dynamic realm of industry evolution.
Vanessa graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Human Resource Management and obtained a Masters of Business Administration in Venture Management from the University of St. Thomas’s Opus College of Business.
Vanessa was recognized by Business Insurance for her leadership attributes, client service skills and expertise as a 2014 “40 under 40” national honoree and was named as a 2010 Broker of the Year national nominee by Benefit Selling magazine in honor of her accomplishments attained in the field of consumer driven health integration and engagement. Vanessa is a proud recipient of the Twin Cities Business Magazine FIVE STAR Best in Client Satisfaction Health Professional Award - earned based on responses of over 10,000 twin city businesses and presented to a select number of individuals in the practice of Employee Benefit Consulting who provide exemplary service to their clients.
Vanessa is a Hays internal advocate for community outreach and an active member of the non-profit and industry affiliate communities alike.