WittKieffer Seeking Chief People Officer for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
March 4, 2024 – Oak Brook-IL-based WittKieffer has been retained by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City to lead in its search for a chief people officer. Stephen Davis, Keshia Harris, and Katie Mazzuckelli are leading the assignment. Memorial Sloan Kettering seeks a dynamic, progressive, and innovative human resources executive to serve as its next chief people officer. WittKieffer notes that this is an exciting opportunity with one of the world’s most respected healthcare organizations devoted exclusively to cancer and recognized as one of the top two cancer hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
Reporting directly to the president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering, the chief people officer will be a key strategic partner to the executive leadership team, providing guidance and counsel as it relates to MSK’s most important asset, the people. They will have oversight of the organization’s human resources strategy ensuring strategically and operationally progressive approaches are identified that further advance a variety of workforce goals, including workforce planning and development, recruitment and retention, engagement, as well as initiatives that advance equity, diversity & inclusion goals, and succession planning.
The chief people officer will build a best-in-class HR department and further position MSK as one of the nation’s more innovative, highly desired employers. They will be a transformational leader able to quickly evaluate the current state of human resources and develop a strategy to evolve the function to one viewed across the enterprise as a trusted, strategic business partner and advisor. As a vital member of the leadership team, this executive will develop a comprehensive talent strategy focused on recruiting and retaining the talent needed to drive the business and support the organizational strategy.
The CPO must take bold, creative steps to address current workforce challenges and develop innovative solutions that improve recruitment, retention, turnover, and engagement. The search firm explains that they will have a passion for developing talent and build strategies to advance the next generation of leaders through intentional leadership development and succession planning. As MSK continues to evolve, the CPO must thoroughly review all positions across the organization ensuring the proper title and grades systemwide. Other major priorities of this executive will include further optimizing Workday to provide data and insights to leadership; streamlining and standardizing HR operations to eliminate silos; developing a systemwide total rewards strategy; strengthening engagement at all levels; championing equity, diversity & inclusion efforts; and fostering a strong sense of pride across all areas of the institution.
The ideal candidate will be an innovative and results-oriented HR leader. The WittKieffer explains that candidates will have a minimum of 10 years of human resources experience, a significant portion of which should have been in a leadership role for the design, development, and implementation of comprehensive HR strategies and improving organizational results. The ideal candidate will have experience working in urban, large, complex, highly matrixed organizations. Healthcare and/or academic medical center experience is not required, but highly preferred for this opportunity.
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Founded in 1884, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution. It is one of 72 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Memorial Sloan Kettering’s specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages.
Finding Senior Leaders
WittKieffer assists hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers, medical schools, and physician groups; biotech, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and medical device companies; colleges and universities, and not-for-profit community service and cultural organizations with senior administrative recruiting assignments. With more than 100 search professionals nationwide, its consultants recruit CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CNOs, physician executives, and other leaders.
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Mr. Davis became a senior partner in WittKieffer’s healthcare practice in 2020. Based in firm’s Boston office, he has participated in hundreds of searches since joining the firm. Mr. Davis identifies key executives for a host of C-suite and other senior leadership positions on behalf of hospitals, health systems, medical schools, physician group practices and other not-for-profit organizations.
A consultant in the firm’s healthcare practice, Ms. Harris supports the identification of senior-level executives, including CEOs, COOs, CHROs, and CFOs, on behalf of integrated health systems, hospitals, physician groups, federally qualified health centers, and non-profit organizations including foundations and social service organizations. She is based in Atlanta.
Ms. Mazzuckelli, senior associates, has had a broad, extensive career in executive search and research specializing in finding information technology leaders. She has a robust network of candidate contacts developed through many years in healthcare and information technology recruiting. Ms. Mazzuckelli is also based in Atlanta.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
