As Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Chief Learning Officer (CLO), Global Talent Management Leader and most recently leader of University based executive education, Steve King has a record of designing and executing learning strategies that enhance performance and profitability. A skilled leader in many business settings, Steve has a knack for building simple and practical solutions to achieve significant business results. He has proven success in financial, professional services, health care industries, and higher education.
Steve’s most recent role was Executive Director of the University of Wisconsin’s Business School’s Center for Professional and Executive Development. He took that appointment in July of 2012 and retired in January of 2018. In this role Steve oversaw all aspects of open enrollment and custom learning offerings as well as the operation of the Fluno Center, the campus executive training facility. Steve also taught in many programs for the center and works directly with many of the center’s clients on performance improvement efforts. The primary focus of Steve’s leadership for the center was to reestablish its financial viability and upgrade its curriculum offerings. Both goals were accomplished.
Prior to the University Steve was with Baxter Healthcare as their Global Talent Management Leader, responsible for all learning, performance management, recruiting, culture, and diversity work for this $13 billion-dollar global business. He joined Baxter in 2007 specifically to help its senior management build and grow its leadership pipeline. A full suite of processes was deployed to achieve this goal including development of leadership success profiles, executive assessment tools, an annual succession planning process, and specific learning experiences for leaders at all levels at Baxter. Included among those learning experiences were programs for front line supervisors in manufacturing environments, situational leadership programs for professional managers, and executive level programs built and delivered in partnership with Harvard and INSEAD. These programs were “blended” programs, utilizing both classroom and on-line line learning experiences. Steve retired from Baxter in 2012.
Steve joined Hewitt Associates in 1997 as Chief Learning Officer and was promoted to Executive Vice President of Human Resources in 2000. In this capacity as CHRO, he provided the strategic direction for the development and execution of all talent initiatives for this $3 billion global HR consulting and outsourcing firm. Steve directed a $70 million operating budget and had oversight responsibility for Hewitt's $1.5 billion payroll/benefits expense for 25,000 associates. Steve had responsibility for all aspects of HR and was part of the executive team that lead Hewitt’s efforts in 2002 to take the firm public.
The development of Hewitt’s professional and leadership talent was central to Steve’s work at Hewitt. He built Hewitt’s first succession planning process and its first formalized, organization wide performance management system. He used these processes to drive a professional consulting curriculum for the consulting side of Hewitt and an operations leadership program for the outsourcing side of Hewitt.
Traditionally Hewitt had a long history of effective internal mentoring arrangements, which Steve leveraged for the introduction of an executive mentoring program to help with Hewitt’s transition from a private company to a public company and a unique diversity mentoring program for senior leaders which was eventually sold to Hewitt clients. Steve retired from Hewitt in 2007.
Prior to Hewitt, Steve was an executive at the Bank of Montreal’s Institute for Learning from 1995 – 1997. BMO had $320 billion in assets and 35,000 employees, roughly half of which visited the institute each year. While at BMO, he was the Faculty Head for Leadership and Change. Steve led the development and delivery of all leadership learning efforts offered at BMO’s corporate university including programs in change management, innovation, frontline and middle management, and project management. Steve also oversaw BMOs in-house MBA program with McGill and BMOs in-house executive program in partnership with Northwestern and the University of Western Ontario.
Previously, Steve was at Harris Bank (1987 – 1994), as Vice President - Professional & Management Development (1990 – 1995) and Assistant Vice President - Instructional Design (1987 – 1990), where he managed the design and implementation of all learning and OD efforts for the bank’s professional and managerial ranks. Harris was Chicago's 3rd largest bank with $42 billion in assets and 7,000 employees at that time. Among Steve’s accomplishments were the development of cash management, trust, and retail banking management trainee programs. He also designed the bank’s total quality management methodology and its related 5-day training program required of all bank employees.
Steve began his professional career with the Wisconsin Vocational/Technical College System as both an instructional designer and instructor of business curriculum in 1980. This unique college system’s mission is to serve the needs of Wisconsin’s businesses by providing a skilled talent pool to those businesses. Steve worked directly with businesses throughout Wisconsin to assess their talent needs and provide training solutions to meet those needs including programs in management development, supervision, economics, and critical thinking. Steve also participated in the design of many technical training programs focused on process improvement techniques such as six sigma, lean, and statistical process control.
Steve earned his MA Economics from the University of Wisconsin and his BA Economics from the University of Iowa. As a life-long learner, he is actively involved in his community and in advancing human and organizational knowledge.
Steve serves on the Board of Advisors for Morehouse College in Atlanta, on the Board of Advisors for OE Learning Inc. in Detroit, Michigan, and the board of the Goodman Community Center in Madison. Steve has also served on a number of non-profit boards including the board of the Chicago Sinfonietta and eleven years as school board member with Public School District #25’s Board of Education in West Chicago, IL.
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