Highmark Health Appoints Gustavo (Gus) Giraldo as President of Highmark Health Plan

— Experienced payer executive brings more than 25 years of leadership in growth, transformation and operational excellence

PITTSBURGH (August 24, 2026) — Highmark today announced the appointment of Gustavo (Gus) Giraldo as President of Highmark Health Plan, effective immediately.

Giraldo joins Highmark with more than 25 years of health care and insurance leadership experience and a record of leading growth, transformation, and operational excellence across domestic and international health care organizations. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Individual and Family Plans at Aetna, a CVS Health company. Previously, he held executive leadership roles with Magellan Health, Centene Corporation, and Cigna Healthcare.

"Highmark Health has built a differentiated strategy centered on improving health, creating better experiences, and making health care more accessible and affordable," said Heather Cianfrocco, Highmark Health Chief Operating Officer.

"Gus brings exceptional payer expertise, a passion for innovation, and a proven ability to lead transformation. We are confident that he will help advance our Living Health strategy and create even greater value for the people and communities we serve."

During his career, Giraldo has led large-scale health insurance operations and driven strategic transformations across commercial, behavioral health, specialty, and government health care markets. He has launched and expanded health insurance businesses internationally, led complex operating models, and helped organizations improve performance while maintaining a sharp focus on outcomes.

"I am honored to join Highmark and the talented team serving millions of members across the country," said Giraldo. "The organization's commitment to affordability, quality, innovation, and whole-person health creates a tremendous opportunity to improve health care experiences and outcomes. I look forward to working with our teams, provider partners, customers, and communities to build on the organization's strong foundation."

Giraldo succeeds Tom Doran, who is departing the organization to pursue other opportunities.