internal
Stephen Hemsley
Chief Executive Officer
Executive
1 yr
30 reports
Leadership change Stephen Hemsley became CEO (from Board Chair) · DEF 14A, 2026-04-21
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated ·UNH
Three business CEOs report directly to the group CEO
Healthcare Services · Fortune #4 · Divisional structure · 440K employees · Minnetonka, MN
View as of:
7
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 8)
3.1
Avg span
moderate
4
Max depth
flat for 440K emp
1.4 yr
Avg tenure
↓ 3.1yr from FY2024
67%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$447.6B
Operating income
$19.0B
Net income
$12.1B
Total assets
$309.6B
Shares out
908M
Sourced from UnitedHealth Group Incorporated DEF 14A · filed 2026-04-21 ↗ View on SEC
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UnitedHealth Group Incorporated organizational chart
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Three business CEOs report directly to UnitedHealth Group’s CEO, creating a clean divisional structure. This page maps the enterprise and Optum/UnitedHealthcare leadership, analyzes reporting spans, and compares the model with healthcare peers.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Latest signal Dennis Stankiewicz joined as Chief Accounting Officer
Appointed CAO effective March 2, 2026.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Create a dedicated Chief AI Officer reporting to the CEO to centralize AI commercialization and governance.
- Consolidate Optum finance under Group CFO Move Optum segment CFOs to report directly to the Group CFO to tighten financial control.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
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- Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.
The people
Who's running this
8 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Timothy Noel
CEO, UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare
1 yr
12 reports
Wayne DeVeydt
Chief Financial Officer
Finance
1 yr
10 reports
internal
Patrick Conway, M.D.
CEO, Optum
Optum
1 yr
11 reports
Open Role
Chief Information Officer
Technology
1 yr
8 reports
internal
Christopher Zaetta
Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary
Legal
2 yr
6 reports
internal
Erin McSweeney
Chief Human Resources Officer
HR
3 yr
7 reports
internal
Dennis Stankiewicz
Chief Accounting Officer
Finance
0 yr
4 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 2 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
Stephen Hemsley $60.9M
- Base salary
- $596K
- Stock awards
- $342K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Wayne DeVeydt $14.6M
- Base salary
- $285K
- Bonus
- $1.20M
- Stock awards
- $8.25M
- Option awards
- $3.25M
- Non-equity incentive
- $1.50M
- Other
- $98K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The skin in the game
Beneficial ownership
Insider stock holdings and the company's ownership requirements for executives and directors. Disclosed in the most recent DEF 14A.
Stock ownership requirements
Robust share ownership guidelines disclosed; exact multiples not specified.
| Holder | Shares | % of class |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Hemsley | 1.34M | <1% |
The businesses
How UnitedHealth Group Incorporated divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
UnitedHealthcare
200K employees
CEO, UnitedHealthcare (Timothy Noel)
Health benefits platform serving employer, Medicare and public-sector members.
Optum
180K employees
CEO, Optum (Patrick Conway, M.D.)
Technology- and services-led health care platform spanning care delivery, data and pharmacy.
Finance
5K employees
Chief Financial Officer (Wayne DeVeydt)
Enterprise finance, accounting, treasury and investor relations.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Three operating CEOs — UnitedHealthcare, Optum, and enterprise functions — report directly to the group CEO, an unusually explicit divisional model for a healthcare conglomerate.
This structure places full P&L accountability at the business level while keeping corporate functions relatively lean. The CEO’s span emphasizes operational leaders rather than layered presidents.
Optum itself mirrors the group’s structure, with its Health, Insight, and Rx units led as semi-autonomous businesses. Recent accounting and finance changes strengthen control as scale and regulatory scrutiny increase. The model favors speed and accountability over centralized coordination.
- Three divisional CEOs report to group CEO
- Recent CFO and CAO turnover
- Optum mirrors group structure
The comparison
How UnitedHealth Group Incorporated stacks up
Compared with peers like CVS Health and Cigna, UnitedHealth Group runs a clearer multi-CEO divisional model, with fewer intermediate layers between the group CEO and operating businesses. CVS uses a heavier functional overlay, while Humana remains more insurance-centric. UnitedHealth’s structure reflects its …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
4 levels
5 levels
5 levels
4 levels
5 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
Stephen Hemsley’s return as CEO and the appointment of a new CFO and CAO reshaped the top finance and leadership team.
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-04-21
- CEO
- Stephen Hemsley
- CEO span
- 6
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 1.2 yr
Major CEO transition year with multiple new appointments.
Named executive officers (5)
- Stephen Hemsley - CEO since 2025
- Wayne DeVeydt - CFO since 2025
- Timothy Noel - CEO, UnitedHealthcare since 2025
- Patrick Conway, M.D. - CEO, Optum since 2025
- Christopher Zaetta - Chief Legal Officer since 2018
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-04-22
- CEO
- Andrew Witty
- CEO span
- 7
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 4.5 yr
Stable leadership prior to CEO succession.
Named executive officers (5)
- Andrew Witty - CEO since 2021
- John Rex - CFO since 2016
- Timothy Noel - CEO, UnitedHealthcare since 2014
- Patrick Conway, M.D. - CEO, Optum since 2020
- Christopher Zaetta - Chief Legal Officer since 2018
FY2023
DEF 14A filed 2024-04-23
- CEO
- Andrew Witty
- CEO span
- 7
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 5.2 yr
Pre-transition steady-state structure.
Named executive officers (5)
- Andrew Witty - CEO since 2021
- John Rex - CFO since 2016
- Timothy Noel - CEO, UnitedHealthcare since 2014
- Patrick Conway, M.D. - CEO, Optum since 2020
- Christopher Zaetta - Chief Legal Officer since 2018
Year-over-year changes
2025 marked a CEO transition and reset of executive tenure.
- CEO span: 7 → 6
- C-suite size: 6 → 5
- Avg tenure: 4.5 → 1.2 yr
- new Stephen Hemsley - CEO (was Board Chair) (DEF 14A, 2026-04-21)
- departed Andrew Witty - CEO (DEF 14A, 2026-04-21)
The board
Board of directors
3 directors. 2 of 3 independent (67%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.
Stephen Hemsley
Chair Inside
CEO, UnitedHealth Group
F. William McNabb III
Lead Indep. Independent
Former CEO, Vanguard Group
Scott Gottlieb, M.D.
Independent
Former FDA Commissioner
The board, organized
Board committees
1 standing committees. Audit and Compensation must be 100% independent under SEC rules; the rest vary.
Audit and Finance Committee
100% independent
- F. William McNabb III Chair
- Scott Gottlieb, M.D.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of UnitedHealth Group?
Stephen Hemsley has served as CEO since May 12, 2025.
What type of organizational structure does UnitedHealth Group use?
UnitedHealth Group uses a divisional structure with major businesses led by their own CEOs.
How many direct reports does UnitedHealth Group's CEO have?
The CEO has seven direct reports, including the CEOs of UnitedHealthcare and Optum.
How has UnitedHealth Group's leadership changed recently?
The company appointed a new CEO in 2025 and added new CFO and CAO roles in 2025–2026.
Who reports directly to UnitedHealth Group's CEO?
The CEOs of UnitedHealthcare and Optum, along with the CFO and key enterprise leaders, report directly to the CEO.
Sources
- 8-K, Mar 2, 2026
- DEF 14A, Apr 2026
- SEC EDGAR: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.
APA 7th
Creately. (2026). UnitedHealth Group Incorporated organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/unitedhealth-group/MLA 9th
"UnitedHealth Group Incorporated Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/unitedhealth-group/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "UnitedHealth Group Incorporated Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/unitedhealth-group/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-04-21. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/731766/000110465926046125/tm261387-6_def14a.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/unitedhealth-group/ · last updated 2026-04-01