Cigna’s HR head of international markets shares some wisdom with up-and-coming professionals.
What advice would you give yourself if you were entering HR for the first time? It’s a question many HR professionals may have asked themselves, particularly if they’ve fallen afoul of an avoidable industry mistake.
Now, HRD is asking one of Asia’s most experienced HR professionals that very question in an effort to help other industry heads across the region.
“After focusing on the HR industry for 20+ years and also gaining significant experience in other business sectors, one piece of advice I would give anyone entering it for the first time would be: deepen your business knowledge as much as possible to ensure you can help your business partners identify and overcome their challenges,” says Michelle Leung, HR officer of international markets at insurance giant Cigna.
“The role of HR has broadened; it’s much more complex than simply identifying talent, drafting contracts and sifting through resumes,” continues Hong Kong-based Leung.
“As the business world has become ever-more connected and fast-paced, identifying efficiencies is vital to success for any company. With increasing interconnectedness, the most important capital for the majority of companies in the Information Age is human capital.”
Leung, whose professional experience includes a ten-year stint at financial giant Goldman Sachs Asia, says HR is becoming an increasingly important function for senior management.
“Historically, functions such as Human Resources, Marketing and Finance might have been labelled as support functions. At Cigna, I’m proud to say that the importance of what Human Resources and other functions bring to the table is well-recognized and we collaborate closely with our business partners,” she tells HRD.
“One of Cigna’s major investments is in its people and HR works to build an agile organization through our human capital by having the right talent in the right place at the right time – and keeping them there.”
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