Cedric Ellis is senior vice president, chief human resources officer for CUNA Mutual Group. Ellis leads all the company’s HR functions, benefits, talent acquisition and management, learning and development, and compensation teams. He is ultimately responsible for the company’s ability to attract, develop, and retain talent for the future.

Previously, Ellis was vice president of Human Resources and together with staff of the chief operating officer, ensured that team members were aligned with CUNA Mutual Group’s evolving business strategy and the needs of customers. He represented the COO in shaping HR strategy and ensured that the organization’s people, performance and strategy supported the company’s culture. Ellis joined CUNA Mutual Group in 2005 after serving as senior vice president of Human Resources for the Atlantic region of Wachovia. During Ellis’s 25-year career he has held senior HR positions at Fireman’s Fund, Aetna and The Hartford.

Ellis’s accomplishments include designing a region-wide succession planning process; designing HR delivery models; helping to rebuild Fireman’s Fund New York City office from an HR perspective after the 9/11 terrorist attacks; serving on the enterprise-wide diversity strategy work team of global insurer Allianz, the parent company of Fireman’s Fund and managing human resources for field offices and branches employing more than 10,000 people.

Ellis earned a bachelor’s degree in English and social rehabilitation services from Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. He has completed post-graduate work in human resources and employee relations at the University of Michigan and the Institute for Applied Management & Law in Newport Beach, California.