The WISE Conference 2020 Guest Speaker

SHIBU VARGHESE

As the chief human resources officer, he is responsible for the overall management and direction of human resources programs including the Leadership Institute, Benefits, Compensation, Recruitment, Employee Development, the Business Partner Organization, Employee Health and Well-Being, Wellness programs, Employee Recognition programs, Payroll and the HR Service Center. He also guides the development of short and long-term strategies in the areas of talent recognition, retention and client-based strategic partnership.

With oversight of Institutional Facilities, Mr. Varghese is strategically involved in the maintenance, development, and engagement of over 16 million square feet of space.

Under his leadership, MD Anderson has earned numerous honors and awards, being named among Texas Monthly’s Best Companies to Work For in Texas, Houston Chronicle’s Top Places to Work, Houston Business Journal’s Healthiest Employers in Houston and Best Places to Work, Forbes’ 2020 Best Employers for Women, Disability Equality Index (DEI) 2020 Best Places to Work for People with Disabilities, Forbes’ America’s Best Large Employers, Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity, Military Times’ Best for Vets, AARP’s Best Employers for Workers Over 50 and GlassDoor’s Best Places to Work. In addition, MD Anderson has received a Gold designation from the Measuring Employee Experience, Executive Coaching and Culture in Organizations Institute and is the recipient of CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation for over 10 years.

Mr. Varghese earned a bachelor’s in health care administration from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB Health) and a master’s in human resource management from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Before joining MD Anderson in 2008, he served as vice president of Human Resources, Gulf Coast Division, for HCA Healthcare, where he managed 13 hospitals across Houston and south Texas. His strategic vision and leadership focused on campaigns to reduce turnover and increase retention. He began his career in health care as a respiratory therapist at UTMB Health. After transitioning to human resources, he was promoted from a technician in the employment office to a consultant facilitating leadership classes, implementing diversity as a cultural initiative, then focusing on equal employment and affirmative action regulations.

Mr. Varghese received the Global HR Top 10 Breakaway Leader Award, a recognition from industry peers that is given to HR leaders for excellence and innovation in human resource management. Most recently he was selected as the recipient of the 2019 Leadership Excellence Award from The National Diversity Council, and was recognized with the 2020 Top 50 Chief Diversity Officer Award.