Andrew Witty

Andrew Witty is the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, the largest healthcare company in the United States by revenue, encompassing UnitedHealthcare insurance and the Optum health services division. Born in 1964 in the United Kingdom, Witty spent 25 years at GlaxoSmithKline, ultimately serving as CEO from 2008 to 2017, where he gained a reputation for expanding access to medicines in developing countries and restructuring the pharmaceutical giant. Witty joined UnitedHealth Group in 2018 to lead Optum, the company's fast-growing health services arm that spans pharmacy benefits, data analytics, and direct care delivery. He was appointed CEO of the overall group in 2021. Under his leadership, UnitedHealth has continued its trajectory as the most valuable health company in the world, with Optum growing to generate nearly half of total company revenue. His strategic focus has been on the integration of insurance and care delivery — a model that makes UnitedHealth both the payer and the provider, enabling data-driven cost management but also attracting intense regulatory and public scrutiny. The Optum division's expansion into physician practices, surgical centers, and home health has made UnitedHealth one of the largest employers of doctors in America. Witty leads UnitedHealth during a period of unprecedented public attention on the health insurance industry. Congressional hearings, pricing controversies, and public debate about the role of insurers in American healthcare have placed him at the center of one of the most consequential policy discussions in the country. His background as a knighted former pharma CEO navigating this landscape makes his position uniquely challenging among Fortune 10 executives.