Rich Iorio, managing director and market leader for Towers Watson in Chicago, will join the University of Chicago Jan. 14, 2013, as vice president and chief human resource officer.
“Human capital is central to the University’s mission and core values,” said President Robert J. Zimmer. “Rich brings outstanding experience and expertise. As a senior leader, he will help the University recruit, retain, cultivate and develop the talent that defines a world-class research University.”
Iorio succeeds Gwynne Dilday, who is retiring in January 2013 after seven years as associate vice president for Human Resource Services. During her tenure, Dilday has created and promoted a culture of collaboration with units across the University and transformed the organizational structure of Human Resource Services, raising the level of service delivery within the department.
“Gwynne has been a central part of the University’s successful negotiations with its labor unions, and has enhanced the University’s staff training and recognition programs,” said Zimmer. “Leaders around the University have benefitted from her counsel, and we are grateful for her service.”
In his 24-year career at Towers Watson and its predecessor Towers Perrin, Iorio has held a number of practice and business leadership roles. In 2010, he led the successful merger of Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt in Chicago, creating one of the firm’s most successful offices, with more than 600 professionals engaged in consulting relationships on human resources and organization issues with a variety of Fortune 1000 companies.
He has served on the audit/quality committee of Towers Perrin’s board of directors and as North American representative on the Towers Watson talent advisory committee. Iorio also has served on the firm’s compensation committee and principal promotion committee. He has led campus and MBA recruiting as well as developed and implemented internal training and mentoring programs for professional staff.
As UChicago’s Chief Human Resource Officer, Iorio will oversee all aspects of the University-wide human resources function, including staff recruitment, benefits, compensation, employee and labor relations, information systems, and union negotiations. He will coordinate efforts with Medical Center human resources leadership, with a focus on setting University-wide human capital and talent management strategies.
“I am honored to be joining UChicago and applying my organizational and human resource expertise to further the mission of the University,” Iorio said. “It is humbling and inspiring to work alongside some of the smartest people in the world. I am committed to partnering with academic and nonacademic leaders to create and implement a human capital strategy that will sustain the University’s momentum. Together, we will ensure the human resources function at UChicago is the best it can be.”
The University of Chicago is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago and the largest single employer on the South Side. As the University’s lead human capital expert, Iorio will build a strong link between the achievement of organizational objectives and the business processes used in managing a large and diverse workforce. This will include developing strategic recruiting and retention plans, providing leadership in talent acquisition, developing tools for succession planning, robust performance management strategy and supporting systems, and comprehensive incentives and rewards programs.
Iorio has a BA in accounting from St. John’s University in New York and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Prior to joining Towers Perrin in 1989, Iorio worked for five years as a CPA with Price Waterhouse in New York.
Iorio was among a list of business leaders in Crain’s Who’s Who of Chicago business beginning in 2008. An avid traveler who travels frequently with his family, Iorio currently has two children who are studying abroad. He also is an Ironman triathlete and a marathon runner.
—Prof. Kunle Odunsi
