In Memoriam: Cinda Hallman

We are sorry to report that Cinda Hallman, former CEO at Spherion and former CIO at DuPont, has died following a long illness.

Hallman served as CIO at DuPont for five years before being promoted to global vice president of integrated processes and systems in 1997. She was the first female vice president in the company’s then-nearly 200-year history. Based on her remarkable accomplishments in that role, she was one of only 12 CIOs named to the CIO Hall of Fame in 1997.

Hallman became CEO at Spherion, a $2 billion staffing and recruiting firm in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 2001. At the time, she was one of only a few CIOs to have made the transition to the top business leadership position at a non-technology company. She retired from Spherion in 2004 after becoming ill.

Hallman enjoyed the respect of her colleagues and peers. “Her energy, perfectionism and intelligence make her a terrific role model,” said Naomi Seligman, then senior partner of the New York-based Research Board, in our 1997 profile of Hallman. On learning of Hallman’s passing, Patricia Wallington, former CIO at Xerox (and herself a member of the CIO Hall of Fame), said, “She accomplished a lot and hurdled many obstacles…. She was a great lady and will be missed by many.”