Sean N. Woodroffe, executive vice president and chief people, communications and enterprise services officer at Lincoln Financial, has been elected chair-designate of the SHRM Board of Directors.
Woodroffe will assume the role of board chair in January 2027, according to a Jan. 20 announcement from SHRM. He succeeds Betty Thompson, who has served on the board since 2019 and held the position of chair since 2023.
Woodroffe brings more than 35 years of experience in human resources and enterprise services across the financial services sector. He has served on SHRM’s board of directors since January 2024.
“Sean Woodroffe is the right leader for this moment,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., president and CEO of SHRM. “His decades of experience, strategic vision, and commitment to people-first leadership align perfectly with SHRM’s mission to shape workplaces where both organizations and employees thrive.”
Portfolio at Lincoln Financial
In his current role at Lincoln Financial, Woodroffe oversees all core human resources functions, corporate communications and several additional enterprise services, as well as the company’s philanthropic foundation.
His background includes senior executive leadership roles at TIAA, National Life Group, Sun Life Financial and Merrill Lynch.
“At the core of every thriving organization is a culture that values people, where trust, fairness and purpose guide decisions,” said Woodroffe. “Human resources is a deeply consequential practice, and I have the highest regard for our SHRM members who carry, with dignity, that responsibility every day in workplaces around the world.”
Board elections
Other members re-elected to the board include Marlon Sullivan, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Johnson Controls International, for a one-year term. Maryjo Charbonnier, chief human resources officer at Kyndryl, and Piyush Mehta, chief human resources officer and country manager for India at Genpact Limited, were also re-elected to one-year terms.
Susana Suarez-Gonzalez, executive vice president and chief human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Amcor, was re-elected to a two-year term. Valerie Vargas, senior vice president of AT&T Advertising and Retail Marketing, was re-elected to a three-year term.
Thompson will continue as SHRM board chair through Dec. 31, 2026.
SHRM has nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries.
