50 things to know about the CEOs of the largest insurers

Rylee Wilson - Updated Friday, August 16th, 2024

Two of the CEOs of the largest health insurance companies were Division 1 athletes. Four held roles at UnitedHealth Group.

The tenures of the leaders at the helm of the largest payers range from 15 years at The Cigna Group to two months at Humana.

Here are 50 facts to know about the top executives at the six largest insurers:

Andrew Witty was named CEO of UnitedHealth Group in 2021. He was CEO of Optum, the company's health services division, from 2018 to 2021.
Mr. Witty began his career at pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline. He led the company's European division from 2003 to 2008, and became CEO in 2008.
In 2020, Witty took a leave of absence from Optum to serve as a special envoy to the World Health Organization, where he co-lead the organization's COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Mr. Witty was knighted for services to the U.K. economy in 2012.
A graduate of the University of Nottingham in the U.K., Mr. Witty served as chancellor of the university from 2013 to 2018.
Mr. Witty was the highest-paid insurer CEO in 2023, earning $23.5 million in total compensation.
Brian Thompson is CEO of UnitedHealthcare. He was named CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance division in 2021.
Mr. Thompson was previously CEO of UnitedHealthcare government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. A graduate of the University of Iowa, he joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004.
Mr. Thompson was UnitedHealth Group's fourth highest-paid employee in 2023, earning $10.2 million in total compensation.

Karen Lynch was named CEO of CVS Health in 2021. Before becoming CEO of CVS Health, she was president of Aetna, its insurance division.
Before joining Aetna, Ms. Lynch held leadership roles at Magellan Health and Cigna.
Ms. Lynch holds a degree in accounting from Boston College and an master's degree in business administration from Boston University.
CVS Health is ranked sixth on the Fortune 500, making Ms. Lynch the highest ranked female CEO on the list.
Ms. Lynch was named Forbes' most powerful woman in business three years in a row, and was named one of Time's most influential people in 2023.
In 2024, Ms. Lynch published a memoir, titled "Taking Up Space: Get Heard, Deliver Results, and Make a Difference."
CVS Health has completed multiple large acquisitions during Ms. Lynch's tenure as CEO, including picking up Oak Street Health and home health company Signify Health.
Ms. Lynch was paid $21.6 million in total compensation in 2023.
Ms. Lynch is currently running day-to-day operations at Aetna. In August, Ms. Lynch said she had decided to make leadership changes after lackluster financial results in the segment. Former Aetna President Brian Kane is no longer with the company, and Ms. Lynch said she and CVS Health CFO Tom Cowhey are overseeing the segment until a replacement is named

David Cordani has served as CEO of the Cigna Group since 2009. He is the longest-tenured CEO among the largest payers.
Mr. Cordani has 33 years of experience with Cigna, holding various leadership roles prior to being named CEO.
In 2023, Mr. Cordani was paid $21 million in total compensation.
Mr. Cordani holds a bachelor of business administration from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Hartford.
In 2023, Mr. Cordani said the company's ultimate goal is to bring the number of employees working in-office close to pre-pandemic levels. Innovation and brainstorming are more effective in person, Mr. Cordani said.
Brian Evanko is CEO of Cigna Healthcare, the company's insurance segment. He is also CFO of the Cigna Group. Mr. Evanko has been CFO of the Cigna Group since 2021, and assumed leadership of Cigna Healthcare in 2024.
Mr. Evanko earned $7.8 million in total compensation in 2023.

Gail Boudreaux has been CEO of Elevance Health since 2017.
Prior to leading Elevance Health, Ms. Boudreaux was CEO of UnitedHealthcare from 2008 to 2014. She previously held executive roles at Aetna and Health Care Service Corp.
Ms. Boudreaux was ranked 14th on Forbes' list of the most powerful women in business in 2023.
In 2023, Ms. Boudreaux was elected chair of the Business Council, becoming the first woman to lead the association of top CEOs in its 90-year history.
Ms. Boudreaux holds a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Columbia University.
At Dartmouth, Ms. Boudreaux played basketball. She was named Ivy League player of the year three times, and holds the program's all-time scoring record.
Ms. Boudreaux was the second-highest paid payer CEO in 2023, earning $21.9 million in total compensation.
Morgan Kendrick, president of commercial and specialty benefits, leads Elevance Health's commercial insurance business. Mr. Kendrick joined Elevance in 1995.
Felicia Norwood, president of government health benefits, leads Elevance's Medicaid and Medicare business. She joined Elevance in 2018, after previously serving as director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

Sarah London was named CEO of Centene in 2020. She was previously the company's vice chair, leading strategy, technology and Centene's non-health plan companies.
Ms. London was previously an investor and operating partner at Optum Ventures, and chief product officer at Optum Analytics.
In 2023, Ms. London was ranked No. 22 on Forbes' list of the most powerful women in the world.
Ms. London is the youngest female CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
A graduate of Harvard College, Ms. London played Division 1 tennis. She holds a MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
In 2023, Ms. London was paid $18.6 million in total compensation.
In July, Nathan Landsbaum was named Centene's next CEO of markets and Medicaid, the company's largest insurance business.

Humana CEO Jim Rechtin is the newest chief executive among the largest payers. Mr. Rechtin assumed leadership of the company in July.
Previous CEO Bruce Broussard stepped down from his role after a decade leading Humana. He is still a strategic advisor to the company.
Mr. Rechtin was previously CEO of Nashville, Tenn.-based Envision Healthcare .The physician services company and ambulatory services operator faced a series of financial challenges, including filing for bankruptcy in May 2023.
Prior to leading Envision, Mr. Rechtin was briefly CEO of UnitedHealth subsidiary OptumCare from June to November 2019.
He spent several years as senior vice president of strategy and California market president at DaVita Medical Group, which was acquired by Optum in 2019.
Mr. Recthin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Rechtin receives a base salary of $1.25 million. He is eligible for executive incentive compensation targeted at 200% of his base salary. He received an initial stock grant of $6 million as well as long-term incentive compensation, also equaling $6 million.
George Renaudin leads Humana's Medicare and Medicaid segments, which account for most of the company's insurance business. Mr. Renaudin joined Humana in 2004, when it acquired Ochsner Health Plan.
Mr. Renaudin was the company's fifth highest-paid executive in 2023, earning $3.1 million in total compensation.