Five HR executives share the moves they made and the skills they learned to make it to the top.

The article below in this month’s HR Magazine highlights senior executives of several different companies and the path they took to become a chief human resources officer (CHRO). One of the executives spotlighted is HII’s executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Edmond Hughes. Read more about Edmond’s career path, his learning moments and shared wisdom here:  

(HR Magazine, Fall Issue 2022, by Kate Rockwood)

Becoming a chief human resources officer (CHRO) or a chief people officer and joining a company’s C-suite is the goal of many rising HR professionals. It certainly is a great achievement to be placed in charge of all talent and seen as a key partner in the organization’s culture and strategy. If you’re an HR professional with your eyes set on making it to the top, the question then becomes: How do you get there?

Of course, the path to the C-suite isn’t the same for everyone. Some CHROs know from the start that HR is their calling. Others find their way there more slowly while exploring different areas of the business. And while it’s not unheard of for a CHRO to have no HR experience, most come from the field. In fact, the two titles HR executives are mostly likely to hold before moving to the C-suite are director or vice president of human resources, Payscale reports.

According to the HR executives interviewed for this article, those who want to make the leap to the top level must be curious, passionate, and deeply knowledgeable in both the HR and business arenas. Jumping on opportunities that come your way—and being willing to go off the beaten path at times—is crucial, too. Opportunities that give you more companywide exposure can serve as especially helpful steppingstones but may require you to take a more meandering, or even lateral, route to the top.

You can also read the full article at the How to Chart a Path to the C-Suite (shrm.org)