Case Study
Healthcare Services/ Consumer Centricity
Going Global
A Storied American Healthcare Benefits Company Looks to Extend its Reach
Situation
One of the world’s largest healthcare benefits companies was looking for innovative leadership to help it take the success of its U.S. government segment and apply it to its international products and services group. The government segment of the 150-year-old company was a long-term administrator of Medicare, Medicaid, and other government-sponsored health plans, and the company believed it could leverage its experience with technology, population health, and government health plans in other countries. In a bid to drive innovation internally, the company also was acquiring a range of startups to help it rapidly improve its consumer engagement, and it was concerned about integrating these organizations into existing lines of business.
Approach
The client’s needs were highly varied. For its government services segment, we canvassed proven leaders from small, midsize, and large-scale organizations with successful track records in leading government-purchased health insurance plans. The Egon Zehnder Health team knew that successful candidates would also need to possess a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to quickly build and motivate a strong team. On the international front we collaborated with colleagues from around the world to deliver candidates with a global perspective, experience in bringing innovative products to market, and the skills to negotiate with tough government regulators.
Outcome
To head up the government services division, our client selected a proven leader from a healthcare-focused investment company—an individual who previously helped run a highly regarded U.S. health plan. A former CEO with a European-based medical technology company was tapped to lead the international organization. This executive also had worked at one of the world’s largest medical technology companies. Additionally, an executive with a wide range of experience in Healthcare IT and medical technology was chosen as the international division’s chief technology officer. Finally, Egon Zehnder’s Health team led a series of workshops to integrate the client’s newly acquired businesses and to identify strong leaders within this group of startups.
