Most startups treat their compensation philosophy like a finished product once it’s written. But what happens after the doc is done?

In this episode of the FNDN Series, Matt McFarlane speaks with Vaso, Chief People Officer at Ravio, about the real work of operationalising comp philosophies — turning them into systems employees actually experience and understand.

Drawing from her time scaling Deliveroo and TrueLayer, Vaso shares frameworks for handling exceptions, building manager muscle, correcting legacy inequities, and turning pay practices into culture drivers. If you're a Head of People, founder, or comp leader at a scaling startup, this is the practical guidance you’ve been waiting for.

Links & Resources:

→ Connect with Vaso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaso-parisinou-4368b515/

→ Explore Ravio: https://ravio.com/

→ Subscribe to FNDN Series for more: https://fndnseries.fndn.com.au/

→ Grab Ravio’s latest report on how 140 global companies handle pay reviews: https://ravio.com/reports/pay-review-survey

Description:

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In third conversation with Aubrey Blanche-Serellano, Founder of The MathPath and former VP at Culture Amp, we tackle the uncomfortable truth that most companies either lack a compensation philosophy or have one that's completely ineffective. Aubrey breaks down why most comp philosophies fail, how to design one that actually attracts and retains your ideal candidates, and the critical role transparency plays in creating procedural fairness. We explore the balance between employee input and executive accountability, discuss when to implement your first philosophy, and Aubrey shares her provocative question that will help any exec team get serious about their compensation approach. Keep watching to discover how to build a compensation philosophy that doesn't suck and actually serves your business goals.

Chapters:

00:48 The Problem: Most Comp Philosophies Are Useless

01:16 Guest Introduction: Aubrey Blanche-Serellano

02:12 Why Compensation Philosophies Fail

02:31 Know Your ICP: Attracting the Right Talent

03:46 Building Your Talent Strategy Foundation

04:40 The Power of Transparency in Compensation

06:47 The Human Side of Pay Decisions

08:05 Co-Design: Getting Employee Input Right

10:07 When Not to Build by Committee

10:25 Should You Always Have a Comp Philosophy?

11:35 Getting Started: The Executive Question

12:31 What Would Embarrass You About Your Comp?

13:08 Reflection and Implementation

13:26 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

Connect with Aubrey:https://linkedin.com/in/aubreyblanche Visit: https://themathpath.com/ 

Resources Mentioned:

Frameworks:

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Will AI Fix Compensation — or Just Make It Worse, Faster? with Aubrey Blanche-Serellano, Founder at The MathPath

Description:

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Aubrey Blanche-Serellano, Founder of The MathPath and former VP at Culture Amp, we explore the transformative potential of AI in compensation—and its risks. We dive into how AI could revolutionize pay equity analysis, the dangers of embedding human bias into machine decisions, and what the future holds for compensation professionals. From automated pay audits to personalized benefit packages, discover how AI might reshape everything we know about fair pay. Keep watching to learn how to harness AI's power while avoiding its pitfalls in your compensation strategy.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to AI in Compensation

01:16 Guest Introduction: Aubrey Blanche-Serellano

02:37 AI's Role in Compensation: Pattern Matching and Analytics

03:52 The Dark Side: AI as a Supercharged Terrible Recruiter 04:49 Human Bias Becomes Machine Bias

07:11 The Amazon Resume Parser Cautionary Tale

08:54 AI Hallucinations and Critical Thinking

09:35 How AI Changes the Role of People Leaders

11:39 AI Literacy vs. Calculator Panic

12:07 AI-Powered Candidate Experience

14:59 Personalized Compensation Packages

17:26 Ethical Questions in Customizable Pay

18:27 What Will AI Kill in Compensation?

20:10 The Future: Automation vs. Human Expertise

Connect with Aubrey

Visit: https://themathpath.com/

https://linkedin.com/in/aubreyblanche 

Resources Mentioned

Companies/Tools Mentioned:

Concepts Discussed:

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484 

Description:

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Aubrey Blanche- Serellano, Founder of MathPath and former VP at Culture Amp, we unpack the critical misconceptions around the gender pay gap and explore what it actually measures versus what most people think it represents. We dive deep into Culture Amp's achievement of having the smallest gender pay gap among their peers and examine the practical strategies that drive real pay equity outcomes.

Chapters:

00:59 Guest Introduction: Aubrey Blanche

02:47 What the Gender Pay Gap Actually Measures

04:20 Common Misconceptions About Pay Gap vs Pay Equity

05:51 Is Total Pay Equality Achievable?

07:16 Culture Amp's Success Story: Smallest Gender Pay Gap

08:17 The Power of Regular Pay Equity Audits

10:07 Beyond Compensation: Professional Development Impact

11:03 No Out-of-Cycle Adjustments Policy

13:17 Values-Based Compensation Approach

15:57 Training Recruiters on Compensation Philosophy

17:16 Where to Start: The Importance of Auditing

18:24 Conclusion and Wrap-Up

Connect with Aubrey Blanche

Visit: https://themathpath.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/aubreyblanche

Company Mentioned:

Culture Amp - People and culture platform where Aubrey achieved remarkable pay equity results

WGEA (Workplace Gender Equality Agency) - Australian agency defining pay gap benchmarks

More FNDN Episodes at ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Apple Podcast⁠

We explore how storytelling transforms compensation strategy in our third conversation with  Naomi Trickey, Chief People Officer at Mews. Discover why compensation isn't just spreadsheets and numbers—it's about creating a narrative that builds trust, drives engagement, and makes complex compensation frameworks resonate with employees. Learn how infusing empathy and strategic storytelling into your compensation approach can help navigate difficult conversations and create a more human-centered pay philosophy.

Chapters: 

00:00 - Introduction to FNDN Series

01:04 - Meet Naomi Trickey, CPO at Mews

01:48 - Why storytelling matters in compensation

04:47 - Implementing storytelling in compensation strategy 06:41 - Equipping leaders with storytelling tools for difficult conversations

09:13 - Recommended resources for mastering storytelling in business

11:24 - Episode wrap-up and closing thoughts

Connect with Naomi Trickey

Visit https://mews.com/ 

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/naomitrickey

 FNDN Episodes at Spotify | Apple Podcast

Description: 

Join Matt McFarlane in this  FNDN Series as he delves into the second conversation with Naomi Trickey, Chief People Officer at Mews. In this informative episode, they discuss the challenges of sustaining effective compensation practices during rapid growth phases, the importance of creating robust compensation frameworks, indicators of when compensation structures need reevaluation, and the strategic relationship between compensation transparency and employee trust. This episode provides valuable insights into maintaining employee retention and engagement through dynamic compensation strategies tailored for fast-growing tech startups.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Startup Compensation

01:11 Meet Naomi Trickey: Chief People Officer at Mews

01:48 Challenges in Fast-Growth Startups

03:30 Building Consistent Compensation Structures

09:30 The Importance of Transparency and Engagement

18:52 Strategies for Scaling Compensation

23:22 Conclusion and Future Insights

Connect with Naomi Trickey

Visit https://mews.com/ 

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/naomitrickey 

More FNDN Episodes at Spotify | Apple Podcast

Description: 

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Naomi Trickey, Chief People Officer at Mews, we explore how ERG (Employee Resource Group) work drives long-term business value, especially as ESGDI initiatives face increasing scrutiny. We examine how compensation structures must align with business objectives and the critical importance of building a solid business case for culture-building investments. 

Chapters: 

00:59 Guest Introduction: Naomi Trickey

03:42 The Catalyst for Remunerating ERGs

08:45 Structuring ERG Compensation

13:40 Challenges and Considerations1

8:46 Tips for Implementing ERG Compensation

21:41 Conclusion and Wrap-Up

Connect with Naomi Trickey

Visit https://mews.com/ 

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/naomitrickey 

People Mentioned:

Ella McCann Tomlin - VP of ESG at Mews

Matt Weller - CEO at Mews

Tobias Lütke  - CEO of Shopify (referenced from LED's podcast)

More FNDN Episodes at Spotify | Apple Podcast

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our exploration of startup compensation with Melissa Theiss, Head of People at Kit and founder of Fledge. In this fourth episode of our conversation, we dive deep into one of the most operationally critical yet often overlooked responsibilities for people leaders—budgeting for the annual compensation cycle. We break down the five essential compensation buckets every startup should consider, discuss how to build a strong partnership with your finance team, and explore practical strategies for allocating your compensation budget effectively. If you've enjoyed our previous episodes with Melissa on cookie-cutter compensation, job structures, and rethinking bonuses, this final instalment offers equally valuable insights for getting your comp cycle right.

Chapters:

[01:41] Introduction to Melissa Theiss and her background

[02:29] Building a partnership with your head of finance

[03:27] The five essential compensation buckets explained

[05:52] Avoiding common budget allocation mistakes

[07:40] Becoming finance's best friend through collaboration

[08:44] Building goodwill with finance throughout the year

[10:18] Episode wrap-up and key takeaways

Connect with Melissa Theiss

Visit https://kit.com/

Linkedin: @melissatheiss

Other resources mentioned:

Matt Schulman: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-schulman-15911861/

https://www.pave.com/

More FNDN Episodes at Spotify | Apple Podcast 

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with Melissa Theiss, Head of People at Kit and founder of Fledge. In this third episode of our conversation, we unpack a hot topic in the startup world—are personal bonuses worth the trouble they cause? We explore how to transform bonuses from expected entitlements into true motivators, design programs that drive performance without creating resentment, and implement profit-sharing that connects employee success to customer outcomes. If you enjoyed our previous chats with Melissa on cookie-cutter compensation and job structure, you'll find this final instalment equally practical for rethinking your incentive strategy.

Chapters:

[01:45] Introduction to Melissa Theiss and her background

[02:08] Are bonuses necessary for startups?

[03:52] Turning bonuses into incentives, not expectations

[05:24] Making bonuses tangible and meaningful

[07:41] Transparency about bonus attainment rates

[10:03] Designing a bonus program with real accountability

[11:03] Profit-sharing as an alternative approach

[12:18] Episode wrap-up and key takeaways

Connect with Melissa Theiss

Visit ⁠https://kit.com/ ⁠

Linkedin: ⁠@melissatheiss ⁠

More FNDN Episodes at ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Apple Podcast⁠ 

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our discussions with Melissa Theiss, Head of People at Kit and founder of Fledge. In this second episode, we dig deep into one of the thorniest challenges startups face as they grow—how to build a job structure that scales without killing agility. We explore progression steps, title frameworks, when to introduce levels, and practical strategies for implementing job architecture while managing expectations. If you enjoyed our previous conversation with Melissa on avoiding cookie-cutter compensation, you'll find this follow-up packed with equally valuable insights on navigating the messy middle of startup growth.

Chapters:

[01:45] Introduction to Melissa Theiss and her background

[02:41] Starting with the right levelling approach for small teams

[04:49] Building frameworks from the middle outward

[05:59] Aligning job titles with levels and using progression steps

[07:21] Managing "head of" titles and when to retire them

[09:26] Three approaches to implementing job architecture

[12:40] Handling title inflation and expectation management

[14:17] Strategies for levelling people objectively

[15:53] Setting consistent promotion standards

[16:51] Episode wrap-up and key takeaways

Connect with Melissa TheissVisit https://kit.com/ 

Linkedin: @melissatheiss 

More FNDN Episodes at Spotify | Apple Podcast