Gail Boudreaux

President and Chief Executive Officer Elevance Health

Last Reviewed: October 1, 2026

Executive Summary

Gail Boudreaux has led Elevance Health since November 2017, making it the highest-ranked Fortune 500 company with a female chief executive. She came with three decades of health insurance leadership: nearly 20 years at Aetna, then running Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and external operations at Health Care Service Corporation, and then UnitedHealthcare, which she led as CEO from 2011 to 2014. In the second quarter of 2026 Elevance reported operating revenue of $49.8 billion and raised its full-year guidance. Elevance Health ranked No. 18 on the 2026 Fortune 500.

Career Highlights

• President and Chief Executive Officer of Elevance Health since November 2017.
• Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare, 2011 to 2014, and Executive Vice President of UnitedHealth Group, 2008 to 2015.
• President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, 2002 to 2005.
• Aetna, 1983 to 2002.
• Director of Target Corporation since 2021.

Professional Journey

Boudreaux earned a Bachelor of Arts at Dartmouth College and an MBA at Columbia Business School. She spent 1983 to 2002 at Aetna in leadership roles including Senior Vice President of Group Insurance.

At Health Care Service Corporation she was President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois from 2002 and Executive Vice President of External Operations from 2005. She joined UnitedHealth Group in 2008 as Executive Vice President and President of UnitedHealthcare, and was UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive from 2011 to 2014. In 2015 she founded the consulting firm GKB Global Health.

She became President and Chief Executive Officer of the company in November 2017. She sits on the boards of Target, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the National Institute for Health Care Management and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, and has served on the boards of Zimmer Biomet, Novavax and Xcel Energy.

Education

Columbia Business School

MBA

Dartmouth College

Bachelor of Arts