Chris Todd

President and CEO of UKG

Chris Todd serves as chief executive officer of UKG. Chris believes in the power of meaningful work and the impact that good jobs have on society by giving people purpose and, ultimately, making the world a better place. Each day, Chris works hard to ensure U Krewers bring “our purpose is people” to life -- both by building lifelong partnerships with customers and delivering exceptional technology experiences for their people, and by continuing to take care of one another with a culture built upon a deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

In his role as CEO, Chris leads day-to-day operations and sets the company’s strategic, operational, and cultural agenda, while also serving on the UKG Board of Directors. Prior to becoming CEO in July 2022, Chris served as president for four years alongside longtime CEO, mentor, and friend, Aron Ain. He joined the company as senior vice president of services in 2007, and later became chief services officer and senior vice president of operations, overseeing global customer operations, information technology, legal, procurement, global real estate, and workplace services.

Earlier in his career, Chris worked at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and the investment bank S. G. Warburg & Co. Prior to UKG, he was a member of the executive team at Blackbaud, overseeing worldwide sales as well as operations in Australia and the United Kingdom. Chris holds a juris doctor from Yale Law School and a bachelor’s degree in history and government from Harvard University.

Why We Chose Him:

“If work is your No. 1 priority, you’ve got your priorities mixed up. Your No. 1 priority should always be family.” This is the belief -- long held and oft reiterated -- of Aron Ain, whom we honored last year as CEO and chairman of Ultimate Kronos Group. Now, the company continues that culture under the leadership of new CEO, Chris Todd.

“Everyone has a different purpose. My No. 1 job as CEO is to help create opportunities for U Krewers (our employees) so they can fulfill that purpose, whether that’s inside or outside of work,” Chris says. He believes that employees who are happy and inspired create a positive butterfly effect that starts with the customers and reverberates beyond work to help those employees improve the lives of their families, friends, and those in need. “The thought of this butterfly effect originating from our 15,000 employees is what gets me out of bed each morning.”

Many businesses proudly proclaim the “family atmosphere” they strive to create in their workplaces. But often, that refers to a congenial atmosphere at work. Ultimate Software, whose tagline was “People first,” brought to its merger with Kronos an exemplary record of proving its regard for its employees’ “whole life” with perks for their families. The merged entity, Ultimate Kronos Group, has a similar tagline: “Our Purpose is People,” and earned recognition from Great Places to Work for committing to no layoffs during the pandemic, adding more employees, investing more into its employee benefits and continuing its philanthropic efforts.

But as the old adage says, “Charity begins at home.” UKG lives this, extending its caring into the homes and families of its employees.

The extensive list of benefits UKG offers its employees includes many items that are found at other companies as well. But, under Ain’s leadership, the sheer volume of benefits takes it to a rarefied level. UKG purposely strives to be one of the world’s greatest people companies, and we honor it as a leader in Social Capital.

Proudly referring to the company’s tagline mentioned above, Chris says that tagline works so well because of the duality of it. “If we do a really great job servicing our customers’ people, we can do great things for our own people -- and that naturally extends to their families and communities around the world where we live and work.” That’s a Social Capital attitude, and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Chris notes that UKG’s benefits program aligns with the company’s purpose, culture values and business strategy, and credits the HR team for doing an excellent job of identifying and implementing programs that impact people across various stages of life.

“Our family-friendly benefits align with this stage-of-life focus,” Chris says. These include fertility-treatment coverage and adoption financial benefits for those looking to start a family, a UKG Kids stipend to help cover the cost of extracurricular activities, free Tutor.com access for children of employees, and virtual exercise and wellness classes, including family yoga. “One of my favorite family-focused benefits is our global UKG Scholarship Program, which awards 30 different scholarships for dependents of employees attending college or university.” UKG extended this program in 2022, adding 10 new scholarships directly tied to its employee resource groups to recognize and reward students who demonstrate a drive to support belonging, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Chris also points to the PeopleInspired Giving Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to providing financial assistance to UKG employees and their families who are physically, economically, emotionally, or otherwise adversely impacted by tragedy. “Many U Krewers around the world have thankfully used this foundation to receive financial support during trying times.”