Pittsburgh-based Highmark Health has named Karen Hanlon as president, effective immediately.
CEO David Holmberg will continue as chief executive as well as board chairman, while Hanlon will also retain her current chief operating officer title, according to an announcement from Highmark. Hanlon has held multiple leadership roles at Highmark, becoming chief financial officer in 2014 before taking the COO chair in 2018.
She first joined the company in 1997, according to the announcement.
Highmark said Hanlon will continue to oversee the operations of Highmark, Allegheny Health Network and enGen. She has also spearheaded Highmark's Living Health strategy, which the company said will become increasingly critical work as the team puts a focus on improving outcomes and reducing costs.
"Karen is an exceptional leader with a deep understanding of both our organization and the health care industry,” said Holmberg in the announcement. “Through her previous roles as chief financial officer and chief operating officer, she has demonstrated strong, astute oversight of our operations, as well as a strategic mindset and vision that has been essential to our growth and success."
"As our industry continues to weather many challenges and we remain focused on delivering the best health experiences for those we serve, I look forward to this next step in Karen’s leadership journey at Highmark Health and to our continuing work together to meet that objective," Holmberg said.
In her tenure as CFO and COO, Highmark has grown from $17 billion in 2014 revenue to $33 billion in estimated 2025 revenue. Within Living Health and beyond, Hanlon has overseen several key strategic integrations and partnerships come to fruition.