Tom Klonecki joins Benefitfocus as chief operating officer

By: Voya Financial, Inc. via Business Wire

February 22, 2024 at 09:00 AM EST

Benefitfocus, one of the leading benefits administration providers in the industry, announced today that Tom Klonecki has joined the company as chief operating officer (COO), effective Feb. 26, 2024. Klonecki will report to Andrew Frend, president, Benefitfocus.

As COO, Klonecki will oversee the teams that deliver implementation, client management, contact center support, data exchanges and administrative services for clients. Klonecki will also work closely with the product and engineering teams to further advance the company’s full-service customer success organization, which in 2023 achieved a net promoter score — the gold standard for measuring customer experience and loyalty — that increased nearly 40 points over the prior year.¹

“I’m excited to welcome Tom to the Benefitfocus team,” said Frend. “He has extensive knowledge and experience across the benefits administration and retirement industries that will complement the already strong talent and diverse knowledge we have on our leadership team. Tom brings an accomplished, client-focused perspective that will help us further center ourselves around the growing needs of brokers, employers and health plan businesses. I look forward to working with Tom as we continue to accelerate our momentum in world-class service delivery in the workplace.”

“Benefitfocus has been on a transformational journey that has us well positioned for continued growth,” said Klonecki. “I’m looking forward to working closely with my new colleagues as we continue to advance an industry-leading shared client experience across the workplace, including a focus on health and wealth solutions. Being part of Voya Financial will also provide us with expanded opportunities to do even more for our clients, and I have already been impressed with the work that the team has done to further advance and accelerate our strategy.”

Klonecki’s background includes more than 25 years of leadership experience in benefits, human resources outsourcing, client retention, acquisition and total benefits outsourcing. Most recently, Klonecki was head of health and welfare at Fidelity Investments, where he led the product and platform development, implementation and client service teams to help create comprehensive strategies for the firm’s health and welfare businesses. In this role, he also managed the integration of a benefits administration platform with existing retirement and equity offerings for the firm, creating an open source, cloud-based platform for scale and long-term business success. Previously, he held various leadership positions at Hewitt Associates. His experience also includes a strategic focus on transforming client relationship management, product advancement and operations.

Klonecki will serve as a member of the Benefitfocus leadership team alongside Crystal Brown, senior vice president, health plan business; Ed Rumzis, chief technology officer; and Greg Mercer, senior vice president, sales.

Klonecki holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Marquette University and a master’s in business administration from the JL Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

1. Benefitfocus internal data as of Dec. 31, 2023.

About Benefitfocus

As one of the leading benefits administration companies in the industry, Benefitfocus — a Voya Financial company — is committed to helping organizations and the individuals they serve get the most value out of their health care and benefit programs. Engaging directly with more than 12 million employees in the U.S., Benefitfocus’ mission is to improve lives with benefits. Through exceptional service and innovative benefits administration technology, Benefitfocus helps simplify the complexity of benefits and deliver an experience that engages people for better health and improved outcomes. Learn more at www.benefitfocus.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.