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From steel yards to HR stewardship: a summer job at a Chicago steel plant gave John Murabito insight on employee relations and inspired him to forge a career path to HR's upper ranks.

Article Excerpt
John Murabito's resume could double as a checklist for human resource professionals aiming for the executive suite.

HR generalist and specialist assignments for Fortune 500 companies? Check.

Experience at an entrepreneurial firm preparing to go public? Check.

Leadership of major efforts in compensation plan redesign, organizational development, global expansion and corporate turnaround? All checked off.

Murabito, executive vice president for human resources and services at Cigna, a health coverage provider headquartered in Philadelphia, is a man whose achievements reflect a commitment to straightforward HR principles. These no-nonsense principles seem fitting for the son of a Midwestern steelworker:

* Know the business first.

* Apply HR tools to meet a business need.

* Take career risks.

* Seek out good people to work for and with.

* Step out of your comfort zone.

* Give back to the HR function.

HR "has experienced some trouble in establishing itself as a business partner," says Kenneth Carrig, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Houston-based food services supplier Sysco Corp., "but a number of individuals have been very effective in doing just that." Carrig worked with Murabito at Frito-Lay 20 years ago and says, "John is one of those individuals. He is a steward of his organization's culture, people and brand."

Murabito's stewardship most recently played a central role in Cigna's impressive turnaround. H. Edward Hanway, Cigna's chairman and CEO, hired Murabito in August 2003 to be part of a new executive team responsible for putting the company back on a growth track. Since then, the health care giant's stock price has nearly tripled.

"John played an important role in positioning Cigna for success," Hanway says. "He helped move the company forward by personally contributing to the company's overall strategy and then ensuring human resources was an enabler to business success." Murabito contributed, Hanway continues, "by focusing on improvement to critical people processes that attracted, retained and motivated better talent across the enterprise, at the same time reducing overall operating costs. Under John's direction, I'm sure HR will continue to be a significant contributor to Cigna's growth strategy."

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Says Murabito: "To one degree or another, we've changed nearly every critical people process and foundational people element that exists at Cigna."

Summers in the Steel Yards

Murabito's ability to help drive such change drew upon nearly two decades of work in HR, a profession that first struck a chord in...