Executive Vice President for People, Culture and Infrastructure
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Shibu Varghese is executive vice president for people, culture and infrastructure at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He also serves as chief human resources officer for over 26,000 employees at MD Anderson. In this leadership role, he sets the strategic direction and vision for core services within human resources, ombuds, facilities management, workforce community and connections, and the University of Texas Police at Houston.
As the chief human resources officer, he is responsible for the overall management and direction of human resources programs including the Leadership Institute, benefits, compensation, recruitment, employee development, the business partner organization, employee health and well-being, wellness programs, employee recognition programs, payroll, and the HR service center.
With oversight of institutional facilities, Varghese is strategically involved in the maintenance, development and engagement of over 16 million square feet of space.
Varghese earned a bachelor’s in healthcare administration from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB Health) and a master’s in human resource management from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Before joining MD Anderson in 2008, he served as vice president of human resources, Gulf Coast division, for HCA Healthcare, where he managed 13 hospitals across Houston and south Texas. He began his career in healthcare as a respiratory therapist at UTMB Health.
Varghese received the Global HR Top 10 Breakaway Leader Award, a recognition from industry peers that is given to HR leaders for excellence and innovation in human resource management. He was the recipient of the Leadership Excellence Award from The National Diversity Council and was recognized with the Top 50 Chief Diversity Officer Award. Varghese also won the 2024 HRO Today Healthcare Front of the Front Line Lifetime Achievement Award at the Healthcare and Life Sciences Summit. The Houston Business Journal has named Varghese as an honoree for the 2024 class of the HR Impact Awards representing the organization in the change management category.
Leadership Insights: Building, Measuring and Sustaining a Culture of Well-Being
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
3:15pm - 4:15pm CT