Highmark Health Appoints Karen Hanlon President

David Holmberg continues as Highmark Health Chief Executive Officer and Highmark Inc. Board Chairman

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Highmark Health announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Karen Hanlon president of Highmark Health effective immediately. Hanlon will also retain her current title of chief operating officer and will continue to report to David Holmberg, who will remain in his current roles of Highmark Health chief executive officer and board chairman of Highmark Inc.

"Karen is an exceptional leader with a deep understanding of both our organization and the health care industry," said Holmberg. "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."

Hanlon is currently and will continue to be responsible for managing the operations of Highmark Health, Highmark Inc., enGen, and Allegheny Health Network. Her work to build and execute the Living Health strategy will grow increasingly important as the health care industry faces continued challenges, and Highmark Health focuses its efforts to combat these trends and advance transformational products, solutions, and services that improve health and reduce costs.

Hanlon began her career in public accounting at KPMG Peat Marwick prior to joining Highmark Inc. in 1997. She held several positions within the finance division before becoming the chief financial officer and treasurer of Highmark Health in 2014, and later, chief operating officer in 2018.

During her tenure as chief financial and chief operating officer for Highmark Health, Hanlon helped oversee the organization's substantial growth in revenue from $17 billion in 2014 to $33 billion projected at 2025 year-end. Among many milestone accomplishments in driving this success, she helped lead the transition of Gateway Health to become Highmark Wholecare; the integration of the New York-based  Health Now health plan operations into Highmark; Highmark Health's collaboration with Google Cloud  to deliver innovative, digital customer experiences; and the growth and financial stability of AHN.

In recognition of her career achievements, Hanlon was named as one of Modern Healthcare's2024 Top Women Leaders in Healthcare. Other accolades include the 2023 and 2024 Power 100 list of the western PA region's most influential business leaders, a 2023 Pittsburgh Business Times (PBT) C-Suite award and a 2018 PBT CFO of the Year award. She was also recognized as a 2019 recipient of The Grove City College Alumni Association Jack Kennedy Memorial Alumni Achievement Award, which honors alumni who have made significant contributions in their field.

Outside of Highmark Health, Hanlon is active in local organizations, including serving on the board of directors for Federated Hermes, Inc. and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. She is a distribution committee member of the McCune Foundation and is the chair of the audit committee for Penn State Health. Hanlon is also a previous board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh and Leadership Pittsburgh.

About Highmark Health
Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA-based enterprise that employs more than 44,000 people who serve millions of Americans across the country, is the parent company of Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, and enGen. Highmark Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates provide health insurance to 7.1 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New York, as well as dental insurance, and related health products through a national network of diversified businesses. Allegheny Health Network is an integrated delivery network in western Pennsylvania comprised of 14 hospitals, more than 2,500 affiliated physicians, ambulatory surgery centers, an employed physician organization, home and community-based health services, a research institute, a group purchasing organization, and health and wellness pavilions. enGen is a wholly owned subsidiary of Highmark Health whose dynamic ecosystem of smart automation and technology supports and streamlines complex operations for health plans and their provider partners. To learn more, visit www.highmarkhealth.org.

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SOURCE Highmark Health