Nov. 4, 2025

Perfecting the Performance Review with Barbra Gago, CEO and Founder of Pando

Perfecting the Performance Review with Barbra Gago, CEO and Founder of Pando

Welcome to People Person! In this episode, host and Morning Brew’s SVP Head of People Operations Kate Noel, speaks with Barbra Gago, the CEO and Founder of employee progression platform, Pando. Barbra explains how Pando came to be and how it is designed to help the performance review process for both employees and HR leaders, important tips for level-setting in reviews, where she sees AI’s role in the process, and how leaders can construct better feedback for their employees. 


00:00: Intro 

01:05: Barbra’s first performance review: 

02:56: Why she launched Pando

06:30: Tips for HR leaders introducing performance reviews

08:50: Best timing practices for reviews

11:20: The importance of leveling in performance management 

12:18: What HR leaders should know about performance management

15:07: How alignment directly correlates to high performance 

16:46: How does AI factor into performance reviews

22:16: Performance reviews for remote employees

24:30: Fix this Feedback: “Being too quiet in meetings”

26:55: “Not a cultural fit”

28:50: “Keep doing what you’re doing”


This episode is sponsored by Equifax. Go to http://www.equifax.com/hrbrew for more information.


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People Person is a candid and conversational show where People Professionals can feel seen and heard, and learn from fellow experts in their field. Host and SVP, Head of People Operations at Morning Brew Inc, Kate Noel, brings years of expertise and a healthy sense of humor to discussions about the latest developments and insights that can help others enhance their workplace and their careers. 

Biweekly episodes will feature Kate speaking with entertaining and experienced professionals about everything from holidays to healthcare, and AI to onboarding, in compelling episodes available everywhere you get your favorite Morning Brew podcasts.