Highmark Health’s board appoints Karen Hanlon as the organization’s chief executive officer and president, with her term beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Multiple outlets report that Hanlon will become Highmark Health’s first woman CEO, drawing on nearly three decades of leadership roles within the company.
Alongside Hanlon’s move to CEO, the board also sets a transition for David Holmberg. He is scheduled to step down from the CEO role and serve instead as executive chairman during the leadership change period. The announcements describe the transition as part of a planned succession process.
While outlets differ slightly in emphasis—some foreground Hanlon’s milestone as the first woman CEO and others focus more on the formal succession structure and executive titles—all accounts agree on the core leadership changes, the appointments by the board, and the timing for Hanlon to start as CEO on Jan. 1.
