George Kurian
CignaAbout George Kurian
George Kurian (age 58) is an independent director of The Cigna Group (CI) who has served on the Board since 2021; he is Chief Executive Officer of NetApp, Inc. and holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BS from Princeton University . At CI, Kurian brings deep technology leadership and transformation experience from more than 20 years in senior roles at NetApp and Cisco, supporting oversight of strategy, risk, and human capital through his committee work . He is currently a member of the Compliance Committee and the People Resources (Compensation) Committee and has been affirmatively determined independent under NYSE-aligned Board standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| NetApp, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | 2015–present | Led business transformation; strategic planning and risk assessment |
| NetApp, Inc. | President | 2016–2020 | Executive leadership across operations |
| NetApp, Inc. | EVP, Product Development | 2013–2015 | Product strategy and execution |
| NetApp, Inc. | SVP, Software Group | 2011–2013 | Software engineering leadership |
| Cisco Systems, Inc. | VP/GM, Application Networking & Switching Technology Group | 2009–2011 | General management of networking businesses |
| Cisco Systems, Inc. | VP/GM, Application Delivery Business Unit | 2005–2009 | Led application delivery solutions |
| Cisco Systems, Inc. | VP/GM, Video Networking Business Unit | 2002–2005 | Led video networking portfolio |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Since | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NetApp, Inc. (public company) | Chief Executive Officer; Board role at NetApp noted | 2015 (CEO) | Other Public Company Boards: NetApp, Inc. (no committee details disclosed) |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board affirmatively determined Kurian is independent; all members of Audit, Compliance, Corporate Governance, Finance, and People Resources Committees are independent, with heightened independence for Audit and People Resources .
- Committee assignments: Compliance Committee (member); People Resources Committee (member). Chairs: Compliance—Retired Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, M.D.; People Resources—Kathleen M. Mazzarella .
- Committee meeting cadence (2024): Compliance—5 meetings; People Resources—6 meetings .
- Attendance: In 2024, Board and committee attendance was 96%, with each director attending >75% of aggregate meetings; all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
| Committee | Role | Chair | Meetings (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance | Member | Elder Granger (Chair) | 5 |
| People Resources | Member | Kathleen M. Mazzarella (Chair) | 6 |
Fixed Compensation
| Component (2024) | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | 120,000 | Board cash retainer; paid quarterly for active service |
| Stock Awards (grant-date fair value) | 190,000 | Equity retainer in common stock; ASC 718 valuation; annual award at shareholder meeting |
| All Other Compensation | 283 | Company-paid life insurance premiums; perquisites < $10,000 not disclosed |
| Total | 310,283 | Sum of cash, stock awards, and other |
| Director Compensation Program Elements | Annual Amount ($) | Method | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board Stock Retainer | 190,000 | CI common stock | 2024 |
| Board Stock Retainer | 215,000 | CI common stock | 2025 (increase approved) |
| Board Cash Retainer | 120,000 | Cash | Current |
| Lead Independent Director Retainer | 75,000 | Cash | Increased from $50k in Q3 2024 |
| Committee Chair Fee | 25,000 | Cash | Current |
| Meeting Fees | None | — | Current |
Performance Compensation
- Non-employee director pay is not tied to performance metrics; equity is a fixed annual stock retainer granted on the date of the annual meeting covering service until the next annual meeting; the number of shares is determined by dividing the award value by the closing price on grant date (fractional shares settled in cash) .
- Deferral: Directors may elect to defer cash and/or stock portions under the Deferred Compensation Plan of 2005; deferred stock credited as hypothetical shares; deferred cash credited to selected investment funds including a CI stock fund .
| Equity Grant Mechanics | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Grant timing | Annually on the date of the Annual Meeting; 2024 meeting was April 24, 2024 | |
| Coverage period | April 2024 through next Annual Meeting (April 2025) | |
| Valuation | ASC 718; award value divided by closing price on grant date; fractional shares paid in cash | |
| Performance metrics | None for directors; equity retainer is time-based |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Interlocks/Conflicts |
|---|---|---|
| NetApp, Inc. | CEO; Other public company board listed | No related-person transactions disclosed involving Kurian; Compensation Committee interlocks: none |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology and operations: Extensive leadership in cloud-led, data-centric software and networking; expertise in business transformation, strategic planning, corporate growth, and risk assessment; customer-oriented technology experience as an engineer and client service leader .
- Board-relevant skills: Supports oversight of ethics, compliance, data privacy, and human capital/compensation through membership on Compliance and People Resources Committees .
Equity Ownership
- Beneficial ownership as of January 31, 2025: 3,140 shares; none pledged; group beneficial ownership ~0.7% of outstanding shares .
- Director ownership as of December 31, 2024: 3,140 common; 0 deferred common; 0 RSUs; 1,269 hypothetical shares; 0 vested stock options; total 4,409; total ownership value $1,217,634 (at $276.14 closing price on 12/31/2024) .
| As-of Date | Common Stock (#) | Deferred Common Stock (#) | RSUs (#) | Hypothetical Shares (#) | Vested Options (#) | Total Ownership (#) | Total Value ($) | Pledged? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2024 | 3,140 | 0 | 0 | 1,269 | 0 | 4,409 | 1,217,634 | Not disclosed (policy prohibits pledging) |
| Jan 31, 2025 (beneficial) | 3,140 | — | — | — | — | — | — | None of the shares reported are pledged |
Stock ownership guidelines and alignment:
- Directors must hold at least five times the cash portion of the annual board retainer (currently 5 × $120,000 = $600,000) within five years of election; as of December 31, 2024, all directors were compliant or within the accumulation period .
- Hedging and pledging are prohibited for directors, officers, and employees; transactions such as options, short sales, zero cost collars, and forward sale contracts are banned .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with deep technology leadership; serves on Compliance and People Resources Committees central to ethics, regulatory oversight, and pay governance; strong ownership alignment via robust stock guidelines; hedging/pledging prohibited; no related-person transactions involving Kurian; Compensation Committee interlocks: none .
- Engagement: Board/committee attendance was strong in 2024 (96% overall; each director >75%); directors met in executive session without management; active shareholder engagement program overseen by the Board and Corporate Governance Committee .
- Director pay structure signals: Majority of compensation delivered in stock; 2025 increase to stock retainer and Lead Independent Director cash retainer after peer benchmarking by independent consultant (Pay Governance), reflecting competitiveness and alignment with peers; no meeting fees; Committee chair fees modest .
- Pay governance outcomes: Shareholders supported executive compensation with ~88% “say-on-pay” approval at 2023 meeting—an external validation of compensation governance (context for People Resources oversight) .
- RED FLAGS: None identified for Kurian—no pledging, no hedging allowed, no related-party transactions disclosed involving him; attendance thresholds met; no compensation interlocks .