Advisor Spotlight: Michael Fraccaro, Former Chief People Officer & Senior Fellow, Mastercard

by
The Parentaly Team
Oct 17, 2025
Michael Fraccaro, Former Chief People Officer & Senior Fellow, Mastercard

We’re honored to welcome Michael Fraccaro to Parentaly’s CHRO Advisory Board. 

Michael was Chief People Officer at Mastercard from 2016-2025 – now Senior Fellow – where he oversaw the company’s global people strategy for more than 30,000 employees. With a career that spans senior HR leadership roles across Asia, the Middle East and the United States, Michael brings a truly global perspective to how organizations can better support their people.

“Standard leave policies only go so far. Parentaly understands the nuance of how to support both individuals and businesses through complex, high-impact transitions like parental leave. That’s what sets them apart: they’re turning a potential point of attrition into a driver of employee loyalty and measurable business impact.”

What makes Michael’s perspective especially powerful is that he draws not only from his professional expertise but also from his lived experience as both a parent of five and now a grandparent. He brings a deep understanding of what it takes to create systems where employees can thrive in both roles, and he’s passionate about the link between culture, talent, and business results.

Below, Michael shares why parental leave is such a critical benefit, what’s broken in how most companies handle it today, and how he sees Parentaly driving real change in the way organizations approach this moment.

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What inspired you to join Parentaly’s CHRO Advisory Board?

“I really appreciated Allison’s vision and learning about her journey and her personal story with parental leave. I reflected on my experience as a parent - and now as a grandparent as well, watching my daughter trying to balance both career and parenthood - and there was an immediate connection with what’s happening in my life and with what Parentaly is trying to achieve.”

What’s broken about how companies handle parental leave today?

“It’s part of what Parentaly is helping to achieve - reconciling the balance between providing time off for parents to bond with their child and maintaining productivity for the team. What can an organization do to prepare the team for a seamless handover of work and responsibilities? And just as importantly, how do we ensure that when someone returns, they feel ready to contribute again and the team hasn’t lost momentum? Many organizations get part of the equation right - offering the leave itself - but don’t think as much about the emotions people are going through or the guidance they need. Every situation is different, whether it’s the first, second or third time taking a leave, which is why career support is really vital.”

What excites you most about Parentaly’s mission and this moment in time?

“Parentaly is truly changing the game. I’m most excited about the way they partner with organizations to provide this business-critical support. Their approach goes beyond policy to deliver real, human-centered support that makes parental leave work in practice. I’m especially energized by the chance to help raise awareness at the CHRO and CFO level, because this isn’t just about leave—it’s about culture, career growth, and retention. When employees feel supported during transitions like this, they’re more likely to return, thrive, and stay. That’s the kind of impact that drives long-term success, and I’m proud to be part of it.”

What impact do you hope to make as part of this board?

“I hope to bring my own perspective as both a parent and now a grandparent. I want to help frame the narrative for organizations - connecting the experience of parental leave back to culture, talent and business outcomes. That’s the role I hope to play on this board, alongside the other advisors who are true leaders in their field.”

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To celebrate all we’ve accomplished, our team shared what they’re most proud of since joining the team:

I'm most proud of how much we have done to improve the single hardest moment for women's careers (going on parental leave) ... one that is often shrouded in insecurity and fear. We've been able to help advocate for so many women (and men!) in a way that is empowering and truly life-changing.

Allison Whalen, CEO & Founder

What am I most proud of? Growth! Growing a category of support that didn't exist before Parentaly. Growing from a one-woman bootstrapped operation to a global team of 25+ employees and coaches. Growing our overall impact for working parents, with companies investing in our parental leave programming to support employees all over the world. And growing as humans: new babies, new friends, new life experiences... all while tackling new and exciting work challenges together.

Rich Burke, Head of Growth

When I reflect on what I am personally most proud of during my time here, it's working alongside a team where we constantly evolve and optimize everything that we do in order to deliver the best possible experience for the folks going through our programs. It sounds cheesy, but there are processes that my team and I used to do 100% manually that are now completely automated and systems in place that have become second nature to how we operate. Working with such thoughtful, smart, and creative people is incredible.

Sara Ophoff, Senior Program Manager

I’m most proud about doing work that makes parents feel confident and empowered about their careers during a time that can be overwhelming and challenging – not only for our clients and users who go through Parentaly’s programs, but also with our advocacy work on LinkedIn, through our podcast and other big campaigns that make a difference. It’s been pretty rewarding to build a brand people know and love because what we’re doing resonates with so many employees’ experiences in the workforce.

Jenna Vassallo, Head of Brand & Marketing

I am so proud of the way we've approached growth with such care and intentionality - with every adjustment we've made to our offerings, we've never lost sight of our goal to provide the most supportive and valuable experience for our users. I love looking back on the early stages of conversations and building that have led us to the experience we offer today. Personally, I am extremely proud of the work I've done to scale and automate our backend!

Rachel Andes, Program Associate

I am most proud of the work we do every single day to make a positive impact on working parents! Everyday I get to work with an amazing group of people…we work hard but we also have fun.

Sarah Gruber, Client Partner

I'm proud of scaling an employee experience that consistently delivers positive outcomes for new parents and their organizations. Our north star has always been the user, and we never sacrifice our high quality bar!

Mansi Kothari, VP of Product & Experience

I feel a sense of pride that I get to work behind the scenes supporting everyone. I’m proud to see all of the collaboration between the team and how Parentaly positively impacts employees.

Leo Manalo, Executive Assistant

I'm most proud of going through the Parentaly program myself! I'm so proud to work for and promote this company in a time where parental leave and supportive policies are at the forefront of a national conversation. But beyond this, I'm most proud to call myself a participant.

Emmy Carragher, Enterprise Partnerships

I’m really proud of the work I did to expand our coaching bench globally at Parentaly. It was so rewarding, not to mention insightful, to connect with talented coaches from around the globe. This expansion not only enriched our coaching offerings but also strengthened our commitment to making a meaningful impact on families all over the world.

Nicole Hagemann-Bex, Senior Coaching Operations Manager

I have tremendous pride in the knowledge that what I am doing will change the career landscape for new parents, particularly mothers. This will make it more likely that my daughter can have a career AND a family without worrying about the unintentional negative impact of taking parental leave. Nothing makes me prouder than that.

Mindy Himmel-Brown, Strategic Partnerships

In my short time at Parentaly, I'm proudest of the work we're doing with our clients' ERG groups to elevate the stories and advice of actual working parents. It's such an impactful way to spread the word about Parentaly as an essential resource for all people growing their families, and the managers who support them!

Alex Diskin, Enterprise Account Manager

I'm most proud about using LinkedIn to connect with others. I was recently able to share a helpful return to work doc with 50+ new people looking to make a difference at their company. Was pretty cool that people from Chewy, McDonald's, Honda, Cisco, AWS, Walmart and more want to integrate just a piece of what we have to offer. Also...I'm so proud of the way I feel as an employee at Parentaly. For the first time in my career my personal interests align with my professional interests and I've never felt more motivated.

Jenny Hurwitz, Strategic Partnerships

I'm really proud of being able to help the Experience team by handling the supportive functions so they can focus on the bigger picture. It feels great to know that I’m making things easier for them and contributing to the team’s success.

James Mango, Executive Assistant
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