Judtih Soltz
General Counsel
CIGNA Corporation is one of the nation's leading providers of health care, disability, life, and accident insurance benefits, with nearly $19 billion in annual revenue. From senior management down, CIGNA has a long-standing commitment to a multicultural and inclusive workforce. The company is built on a foundation of good-faith efforts to attract, hire, develop, promote, and retain the most talented individuals in the United States and other countries where CIGNA businesses are located.
Under Judith Soltz, executive vice president and general counsel, the law department's workforce profile reflects the company-wide diversity commitment: Of the 81 attorneys in CIGNA legal and public affairs, 50 percent are either women or minorities. As CIGNA's most senior woman executive, Soltz has a very strong personal commitment to diversity. Diversity-related performance is measured, and the overall success of the department is tied to its success in furthering diversity.
Through the work of the CIGNA Foundation, CIGNA legal has a long tradition of supporting projects of particular benefit to minority communities. Organizations and projects receiving support include The Black Women's Health Imperative, The Hartford Action Plan on Infant Health, The Asian American Women's Coalition, The Jacobs Institute for Women's Health, The National Medical Association, and The National Black Student Nurses Association.
Understanding that diversity of views from outside counsel helps to strengthen overall client service, CIGNA legal and public affairs actively encourages its retained counsel to assign women and minorities to CIGNA matters. CIGNA believes the success of minority- and women-owned businesses adds to its own success, and to that of the communities in which CIGNA does business.
(L to R): Anastasia Kelly, MCI; Judith Soltz, CIGNA Corporation; and Veta Richardson, MCCA
The company's college staffing program focuses its efforts on institutions that enroll significant numbers of women and students of color. The program helps CIGNA hire talent for key functional and management positions that are critical to CIGNA's success.
CIGNA has active diversity/employee councils in various divisions throughout the company. A senior-level official conducts reviews to monitor progress on diversity initiatives and provides additional support to the divisions. Additionally, members of the company's Corporate People Diversity team are active in a national consortium of non-competing companies that share ideas and best practices related to diversity. There is also an employee opinion survey to monitor and help focus on diversity initiatives.
CIGNA's commitment to diversity both within the company and in the communities where it does business has been recognized by organizations, institutions, and publications, including Latina Style, Family Digest, DiversityInc., Working Mother, Hispanic Business, and Black Collegian magazines, as well as associations such as the Urban League of Philadelphia and the National Association for Female Executives.
From the November/December 2004 issue of Diversity & The Bar®