Evolving the Model of a World-Class CHRO With GE's Kevin Cox and Medtronic's Carol Surface

GE’s Kevin Cox and Medtronic’s Carol Surface join the Talent Angle to discuss Chapter 2 of the Model of a World-Class CHRO. As members of Gartner’s CHRO Global Leadership Board, Carol and Kevin were both involved in creating the original Model of the World-Class CHRO in 2017. They join host Peter Aykens to discuss what’s changed in the recent update. They reflect on what originally inspired them to create the model, its legacy to date, and why it was due for a revision. In breaking down Chapter 2 of the model, Carol and Kevin share what’s remained the same for the chief HR officer (CHRO) role alongside what must be added to address today’s realities.

 

The CHRO Global Leadership Board, convened by Gartner, is composed of CHROs from the world’s top companies with deep expertise in HR, talent management and executive leadership.

 

Carol Surface was recently appointed chief people officer at Apple, a role she will start in March 2023. Since 2013, she has served as executive vice president and CHRO at Medtronic, a global healthcare technology leader with 95,000-plus employees. Previously, Carol was executive vice president and CHRO at Best Buy and held a series of human resources leadership roles at PepsiCo, including chief personnel officer for PepsiCo International. In 2020, Carol was elected as Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR). She earned a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from Central Michigan University.

 

Kevin Cox is the CHRO for General Electric. Kevin leads GE’s global HR organization, including talent management, leadership development, total rewards and employee relations. Prior to GE, Kevin served as the CHRO at American Express for 14 years. Previously, he spent 16 years at PepsiCo and the Pepsi Bottling Group, where he held positions leading strategy, business development, technology and HR. In 2009, Kevin was elected as Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR). He holds a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Marshall University.

 

Peter Aykens is chief of research in Gartner’s HR practice. He is responsible for defining research coverage within the practice and building and leading research teams addressing clients’ key initiatives. In prior roles at the firm, he spent over 25 years leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy, producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channel marketing, customer experience and product issues in financial services. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from St. Olaf College; an MSc. (Econ) degree in international politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in political science from Brown University.