Stephen Hemsley

Chair and Chief Executive Officer UnitedHealth Group

Last Reviewed: October 1, 2026

Executive Summary

Stephen Hemsley is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth Group, the health care company that ranked No. 3 on the 2026 Fortune 500. He has led it twice. He was chief executive from 2006 to 2017, stayed on as Executive Chair and then Non-Executive Chair, and in May 2025 returned to the top job after the departure of Sir Andrew Witty. He joined the company in 1997 after more than two decades at Arthur Andersen and has been on its board since 2000. In his second term he has described the work as simplifying how UnitedHealth operates and improving affordability and the care experience.

Career Highlights

• Chair and Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth Group since May 2025.
• Chief Executive Officer from November 2006 to August 2017.
• Executive Chair from 2017 to 2019 and Non-Executive Chair from 2019 to 2025.
• President from 1999 to 2014 and Chief Operating Officer from the late 1990s to 2006.
• Director since 2000.
• Managing Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Arthur Andersen before 1997.

Professional Journey

Hemsley graduated from Fordham University and began his career at Arthur Andersen in 1974. He spent more than two decades there, becoming a managing partner in strategy and planning and the firm’s chief financial officer.

He joined UnitedHealth Group in 1997 and became its Chief Operating Officer, then also President in May 1999. He joined the board in 2000. In November 2006 he became Chief Executive Officer, a role he held until August 2017, when he became Executive Chair of the Board. From November 2019 he served as Non-Executive Chair.

In May 2025 he returned as Chair and Chief Executive Officer. Patrick Conway became chief executive of Optum the same month, Wayne DeVeydt joined as Chief Financial Officer in September 2025, and Dennis Stankiewicz became Chief Accounting Officer in March 2026. In the second quarter of 2026 UnitedHealth Group reported revenues of $112.0 billion and earnings from operations of $8.0 billion, and raised its full-year adjusted earnings outlook to $19.50 to $20.00 per share. Hemsley said the results reflected “continuing progress in our work to simplify how we operate, improve both affordability and the health care experience”.

His philanthropy has focused on health care, education and social services.

Education

Fordham University

Degree not stated in the sources read.