Joseph R. Swedish is the former Chairman, President and CEO of Anthem, Inc, a Fortune 29 company and the nation’s leading health benefits provider. Anthem serves nearly 42 million members – or one in eight Americans – through its affiliated health plans, and over 73 million individuals across 27 states through its broad portfolio of health insurance and service subsidiaries.

He served as the Chairman, President and CEO from 2013 to 2018. Subsequently he served as a Strategic Advisor from 2018 to 2020. During his tenure Anthem’s membership grew by four million, or 11 percent, the average share price nearly quadrupled, and operating revenue increased 39 percent to over $89 billion. Core strategic imperatives included improving medical costs, working with physicians to improve health care quality and access, and improving the consumer experience.

In 2018, he continued to apply his expertise leveraging his extensive health care experience as co-founder of Concord Health Partners, a private equity firm investing data analytics, provider enablement tools and consumer engagement that transform health care by improving access, quality and cost. He is now Partner Emeritus having recently departed active status.

Prior to joining Anthem, Joe served as CEO for several major integrated health care delivery systems, including president and CEO of Trinity Health, an 18-state integrated health care delivery system. He also held CEO and senior leadership positions with the Hospital Corporation of America, Colorado’s Centura Health, and integrated health systems in Florida, Virginia, and the Carolinas.

More broadly, he has built a reputation as a trend-setter by leveraging value-creating assets through high-performing governance, creative strategies, consumer marketing, clinical innovations, and mergers/acquisitions – all efforts focused on growth.

For 12 years in a row, Modern Healthcare has named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare, ranking in the top 20 of the health sector’s most senior-level executives, high-level government administrators, elected officials, academics, and thought-leaders for five consecutive years. In 2016, he was one of five health care leaders named to Crain Communications’ Top 100 Innovators list and recognized as a finalist recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year—Rocky Mountain Region award. Under his leadership Anthem was recognized by Ethisphere on the 2018 list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.

Throughout his career, Joe has shown a commitment and deep passion for diversity and inclusion such as in 2005 self-appointing himself as Chief Diversity Officer while serving as CEO at Trinity Health. He has served as Chairman of the American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity for Healthcare Management and led industry efforts to focus on disparities of care impacting minorities. His effort garnered the CEO Leadership Diversity Award given by Diversity Best Practices.

As a business executive, conservationist, and philanthropist, Joe serves on the board of directors for IBM, CDW, Mesoblast – as Chairman, Centrexion Therapeutics, and Accelus. He is also a member and past chairman of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business Board of Visitors. Previously, Joe served as chairman of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), and Chairman of the Catholic Health Association. He also serves as a board member for The Nature Conservancy (Colorado), and Trout Unlimited (National Board). He has also held board and advisory positions with American Hospital Association, Coventry Health Care, Inc., RehabCare Group, Inc., Cross Country, National Quality Forum, the National Center for Healthcare Leadership, and Loyola University Chicago.

He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his master’s degree in health administration from Duke University.