Key Executives is pleased to announce The Top 25 Executives of North Carolina for 2023. The entrepreneurial ecosystem in North Carolina is vibrant, featuring a wealth of startups and innovation hubs. At its core lies the Research Triangle, commonly referred to as the Research Triangle Park (RTP), recognized as one of the most significant research and technology hubs in the US. With three major research universities in the region; North Carolina State University, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University healthcare systems such as Duke Health and UNC Health, are prominent in the state.
This year's honorees reflect the state's diversity and leadership across critical sectors such as healthcare, finance, and technology, driving innovation and economic growth. Among them, Anita Bachmann, Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare’s Community Plans, brings over 30 years of industry expertise, excelling in integrated delivery systems, organizational management, HR, healthcare operations, business strategy execution, and relationship management.
Vimal Kapur, Chief Executive Officer of Honeywell, has been instrumental since his start in 1989, holding key roles like President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Executive Officer within various Honeywell divisions. Jim Goodnight, the long-serving Chief Executive Officer of SAS, has led the company since its founding in 1976, earning recognition for the company's work-life balance and landing on prestigious lists like Fortune's Best Workplaces in the US.
We commend these individuals for their commitment to the organizations they serve. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 25 Executives of North Carolina for 2023.
1. Chad Patrick
Chief Executive Officer, HCA Healthcare
Chad Patrick is the Chief Executive Officer of HCA Healthcare. The company serves as the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care in Western North Carolina and the adjoining region. HCA acquired Mission Hospital in 2019, which includes Mission Children’s Hospital, the region’s only children’s hospital. Mission Hospital is licensed for 815 beds and houses the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center.
Before joining HCA, Patrick served as the Division President for RegionalCare Hospital Partners, a five-hospital healthcare system. Preceding his role at RegionalCare, he served as President and CEO of Meadowview Regional Medical Center, CEO of Dayton Heart Hospital, EVP/COO for the Southwest Ohio Region at Catholic Health Partners, then began his career as a respiratory therapist. Patrick studied health services administration at the University of Central Florida where he received his MHA and a BS in respiratory therapy from Ohio State University.
2. Vimal Kapur
Chief Executive Officer, Honeywell
Vimal Kapur is Chief Executive Officer of Honeywell, an integrated operating company serving a broad range of industries and geographies around the world. Their business is aligned with three powerful megatrends – automation, the future of aviation, and energy transition – underpinned by the Honeywell Accelerator operating system and Honeywell Connected Enterprise integrated software platform. Kapur focuses on enhancing innovation to continue delivering strong financial results, optimizing company operations to drive value, aligning the portfolio to megatrends including maintaining a leadership position in ESG, and developing the nearly 100,000 Futureshapers that work at Honeywell every day across more than 80 countries. He also serves on the company’s BoD.
Kapur started his career at a Honeywell Joint Venture in 1989 and eventually became the Managing Director of Honeywell Automation India in 2006. Before his current role, Kapur was President and COO of Honeywell. He previously served as President and CEO of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies from 2021 to 2022 and President and CEO of Honeywell Building Technologies (HBT) from 2018 to 2021. Before his HBT leadership role, he served as President of Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS). Before that, Kapur worked as the VP of Global Marketing and Strategy for HPS and the GM of the Advanced Solutions business within HPS. Kapur graduated from Thapar Institute of Engineering in Patiala, India, as an electronics engineer with a specialization in instrumentation.
3. Anita Bachmann
Chief Executive Officer, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan - North Carolina
Anita Bachmann is the Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina Market for UnitedHealthcare’s Community Plans. UnitedHealth Group is a healthcare and well-being company with a mission to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. They are 340,000 colleagues in two distinct and complementary businesses working to help build a modern, high-performing health system through improved access, affordability, outcomes, and experiences. Bachmann is an accomplished executive with extensive, progressive experience in healthcare administration, business operations, healthcare delivery systems, business development, technology, clinical strategy, and regulatory/legislative affairs.
Before this role, Bachmann served as VP of Business Development for UnitedHealthcare Community & State nationally, and as Market Leader in North Carolina. She has also served as SVP of Health Reform Strategy at Optum, where she was responsible for the development of the reform strategy to support state government business growth, and as VP of Health Care Reform at UnitedHealthcare. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Bachmann has a strong background in the management of integrated delivery systems, organizational and HR management, healthcare operations, business strategy execution, and relationship management. In recognition of her efforts, she was named ‘Outstanding Woman in Business’ by Triad Business Journal in 2017. Bachmann earned an MHS, Health Services Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and graduated from the Executive Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Anita Bachmann Insight
Healthcare can be a challenging and extremely rewarding field to work in. To create meaningful change, I believe, you must identify thought leaders that will embrace the opportunity to collaborate. It is through those collaborations that we can create an interconnected system of clinical and social services, that will lead to better outcomes for our communities. The best solutions come when we work together.
I daily am reminded of an African Proverb - “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” and this quote is one of my favorites as it aptly describes a well organized and working team. “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen; others make it happen.” From one of our favorite North Carolinians – Michael Jordan.
4. Peter Fetherston
Chief Executive Officer of Business & Industry, Compass Group USA
Peter Fetherston is Chief Executive Officer of Compass Group’s Business & Industry (B&I) sector, where his financial acumen and operational experience are driving results for Compass Group’s B&I clients. Yet, Fetherston believes it’s their Associates who drive their unparalleled success. Based in Charlotte, NC, Compass Group North America is the leading food and support services company with over 280,000 Associates and $20.1 billion in revenue in 2019. Celebrating 25 years in North America, Compass Group is recognized as a premier employer receiving honors for diversity and inclusion, innovation, health and wellness, and company culture. With over 600,000 Associates worldwide, its parent company, UK-based Compass Group PLC had revenues of £25.2 billion ($32.2 billion) in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.
Fetherston joined Compass Group PLC in 1996, where he held several financial and commercial positions before moving to the US. In 2010, Peter became CFO of Contract Foodservice and in 2013, he assumed the role of CEO of Canteen, where he ushered in transformational innovation and growth. Fetherston graduated from Loughborough University with an undergraduate degree in economics and accountancy.
5. Shane O'Kelly
President and Chief Executive Officer, Advance Auto Parts
Shane O'Kelly is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional and do-it-yourself customers. The company serves its customers with quality parts and expert advice and strives to improve the communities where they live and work. As a leader, O’Kelly is invested in the success of their 68,000 team members who are critical to the success of their business.
Previously, O'Kelly was a CEO at HD Supply and before that, an SVP at The Home Depot. Earlier in his career, he worked with McKinsey & Company as an Engagement Manager. O'Kelly earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree in mathematical economics from the US Military Academy at West Point.
6. Jamie Macdonald
Chief Executive Officer, Parexel
Jamie Macdonald is the Chief Executive Officer of Parexel. He has more than 25 years of experience leading global biopharmaceutical services companies. Parexel is among the world’s largest clinical research organizations, providing the full range of Phase I to IV clinical development services to help life-saving treatments reach patients faster. Leveraging the breadth of their clinical, regulatory, and therapeutic expertise, their team of more than 21,000 global professionals works in partnership with biopharmaceutical leaders, emerging innovators, and sites to design and deliver clinical trials with patients in mind, increasing access and participation to make clinical research a care option for anyone, anywhere.
Before joining Parexel, Macdonald served as CEO of INC Research (now known as Syneos Health) from 2013 to 2016, where he led the company through a successful IPO in 2014. Macdonald also served as INC’s COO from 2011 to 2012 and previously held several leadership positions in the biopharmaceutical services industry including SVP and Head of Global Project Management at Quintiles, now known as IQVIA. Before this, he held various senior operational and finance roles at Quintiles. He has previously served on the BoD for the Association of Clinical Research Organizations and as its Chairman in 2015. Macdonald’s recent experience also includes serving as Chairman of the Board for Certara, a drug development consultancy with solutions spanning discovery, preclinical, and clinical drug development, from 2017 to 2018. Macdonald began his career in the pharmaceutical industry with Syntex Corporation (acquired by Roche Holdings). A native of Scotland, he holds a BA in Economics from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant.
7. Wesley Burks
Chief Executive Officer, UNC Health Care
Wesley Burks is the Chief Executive Officer of UNC Health Care. UNC Health and its 33,000 employees continue to serve as North Carolina’s Health Care System, caring for patients from all 100 counties and beyond their borders. They continue to leverage the world-class research conducted in the UNC School of Medicine, translating that innovation into life-saving and life-changing therapies, procedures, and techniques for the patients who rely on them.
Burks has spent over 30 years taking care of patients, conducting research, helping to educate trainees, and leading institutions. He joined UNC in 2011 as Physician-in-Chief of the North Carolina Children’s Hospital and was named Chair of the Department of Pediatrics in 2012. In 2015, he was named Executive Dean of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Before serving at UNC, Burks worked at Duke University Medical Center and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He graduated from the University of Central Arkansas and then the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He completed a pediatric residency at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and a fellowship in allergy and immunology at Duke University Medical Center. Burks served on the faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and Duke University Medical Center before joining the UNC School of Medicine.
8. Carl Armato
President and Chief Executive Officer, Novant Health
Over the last twenty years, Carl Armato has transformed Novant Health into an area leader by setting strategic direction and growth for their core and emerging markets. Since joining in 1998, he has directed finance and operations systems, spearheaded branding campaigns, and ultimately united the Novant Health system – all in the name of personalized healthcare. As President and Chief Executive Officer, he has successfully led Novant Health’s efforts to increase connectivity and improve patients’ access to information online through the implementation of EPIC, the electronic health record, in all 445+ physician practices across the Novant Health system.
Through his executive leadership, Armato has increased Novant Health’s market share, provided hundreds of millions in community benefits, and reduced system costs by $405 million. Armato graduated from Norwich University with an MBA and from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
9. Jim Goodnight
Chief Executive Officer, SAS
As the Chief Executive Officer of SAS, the world’s leading business analytics software vendor, Jim Goodnight has led the company since its inception in 1976, overseeing an unbroken chain of revenue growth and profitability that is unprecedented in the industry. Under his leadership, SAS has become renowned for its innovation and corporate culture. His commitment to work-life balance has made SAS a fixture on best workplaces lists worldwide, including No. 1 on the Fortune list for the US and No. 1 on the Great Place to Work Institute’s multinational ranking.
SAS® software was originally created by Goodnight and North Carolina State University colleagues to analyze agricultural research data. Four decades later, a solid reputation for innovation has secured SAS among the world’s largest software companies. Goodnight continues this commitment to breakthrough technology by reinvesting about a quarter of total revenue each year in research and development, nearly double the percentage of other large software companies. Goodnight graduated from North Carolina State University with a PhD in statistics, a master’s in experimental statistics, and an undergraduate in applied mathematics.
10. Ted Doheny
President and Chief Executive Officer, Sealed Air
Ted Doheny is the President and Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Sealed Air Corporation, a global leader in essential packaging solutions. He brings more than 30 years of extensive experience transforming global manufacturers of highly mechanized equipment into companies that focus on innovative services and solutions.
Before joining Sealed Air, Doheny served as President and CEO and a Director of Joy Global. Doheny also served as the EVP of Joy Global and President and COO of its Underground Mining Machinery business. Before Joy Global, Doheny had a 21-year career with Ingersoll-Rand Corporation holding a series of senior executive positions, including President of Industrial Technologies and President of Air Solutions. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Cornell University and his master’s degree from Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management. Doheny has earned multiple patents for his innovations across various industries.
11. Christopher Fuller
Chief Executive Officer, Novant Health Rehabilitation Hospital
Christopher Fuller is the Chief Executive Officer of Novant Health Rehabilitation Hospital, an affiliate of Encompass Health. The hospital is a joint-venture partnership between Encompass Health, the largest owner and operator of rehabilitation hospitals in the US, and Novant Health. The hospital provides high-quality, compassionate rehabilitative care for patients recovering from a major injury or illness, using advanced technology and innovative treatments to maximize recovery.
Fuller most recently served as interim CEO at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls in New Jersey. He first joined Encompass Health in 2021 as an Associate Administrator at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Kingsport in Tennessee. Before his time with Encompass Health, he served as the hospital services administrator of DaVita Kidney Care, where he directed global business and clinical operations across five acute in-patient dialysis clinics. Fuller earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas Southern University and his master’s degree in business administration from Tulane University.
12. Simon Campion
President and Chief Executive Officer, Dentsply Sirona
Simon Campion joined Dentsply Sirona as President and Chief Executive Officer as well as a member of the BoD in 2022. Dentsply Sirona is the world’s largest manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, empowering dental professionals to provide better, safer, and faster dental care. Their products and solutions include leading positions and platforms across consumables, equipment, technology, and specialty products. Dentsply Sirona is one global team that brings out the best in our people, lives and breathes high performance and personal accountability, acts with uncompromising integrity, improves the practice of dentistry with an unrelenting commitment to their customers and demonstrates a passion for innovation that shapes the dental industry.
Campion previously served as EVP and President of the Interventional and Medical segments at Becton, Dickinson & Company (BD). When BD acquired C R Bard in 2017, Campion initially led the integration of the BD & Bard Surgery businesses into a single business unit and upon taking on the role of EVP and President of Interventional, a $4.2 billion segment in 2021, led the broader segment through integration and oversaw the global strategic, financial and innovation performance of the segment. Campion’s leadership generated revenue growth at scale through the expansion of the segment’s organic innovation agenda and acceleration of its M&A objectives. Before, Campion held several leadership roles across the C R Bard organization in the US and internationally, including President of the Surgery Business unit. Previously, he held marketing and R&D roles at Cook Medical and Boston Scientific. Campion earned a BE and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Limerick, Ireland, and an MBA from the Open University in the UK.
13. Dave Regnery
Chief Executive Officer, Trane Technologies
Dave Regnery is the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator focused on sustainable solutions for buildings, homes, and transportation. Under Regnery’s leadership, Trane Technologies has sharpened its strategy as an industry leader in climate solutions with a singular purpose – to boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world.
Previously, Regnery served as the EVP of Trane Technologies, overseeing the financial and operating performance of the company’s Climate and Industrial segments, including its full portfolio of businesses. Regnery has also served as the President of HVAC Commercial for North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as for Transport North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Regnery graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and earned his MBA from Lehigh University.
14. Julie Freischlag
Chief Executive Officer, Wake Forest Baptist Health
Julie Freischlag is the Chief Executive Officer of Wake Forest Baptist Health, a nationally prominent academic medical center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is an integrated enterprise incorporating hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers, and other primary and specialty care facilities that serve the residents of 24 counties in Northwest North Carolina and Southwest Virginia.
Freischlag comes to Winston-Salem from Sacramento, California where she is currently Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of California Davis (UC Davis). In this role, Freischlag directs UC Davis' academic, research, and clinical programs, which include a 627-bed acute care hospital, a 1,000-physician private practice group, a school of nursing, and a staff of 10,000 employees. Before her career at UC Davis, Freischlag served as the first female Chair of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and earlier, as Professor and Chief of Vascular Surgery at UCLA. She received an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Illinois, her MD from Rush University Medical College in Chicago, and completed a surgical residency and vascular fellowship at UCLA.
15. Harrison Ahlbrandt
Co-Chief Executive Officer, PCL Construction
Harrison Ahlbrandt is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of PCL Construction. He first joined the company in 2017. PCL is a group of independent construction companies that carries out work across Canada, the US, the Caribbean, and Australia. These diverse operations in the civil infrastructure, heavy industrial, and building markets are supported by a strategic presence in 31 major centers. PCL is 100% employee-owned.
Previously, Ahlbrandt was a Chief Reservoir Engineer at Genesis Crude Oil. Earlier in his career, he worked with TM Offshore Petroleum Excavation and Extraction as a drilling engineering lead. Ahlbrandt earned an MS in mining and petroleum technologies from the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, an MEng in mechanical drafting from the Technical University of Munich, and an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from San Jose State University.
16. Jason Potter
Chief Executive Officer, The Fresh Market
Jason Potter is the Chief Executive Officer of The Fresh Market. Since 1982, The Fresh Market has helped guests make everyday eating extraordinary with time-saving meal solutions, unique ingredients, and delicious food for any occasion. From fresh produce and exceptional meat and seafood to signature baked goods and thousands of organic options, this specialty grocery retailer has something to please every palate. The Fresh Market currently operates 159 stores in 22 states across the US, inspiring guests to discover new flavors and cook with confidence.
Potter has over 30 years of experience in the grocery industry, having spent the bulk of his career at Sobeys, one of the largest food retailers in North America and a leader in perishables. During his 26-year tenure at Sobeys, Potter served in successively senior executive positions. Most recently, he served as EVP of Operations, having previously served as President of Sobeys West, Sobeys Atlantic, and President of Multi-Format Operations. As EVP of Operations, Potter had full leadership and P&L responsibility for the approximately 800 Full Service and Community stores under the Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, and Thrifty banners. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in management and an MBA at Athabasca University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.
17. Dr. Zoe Stallings
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mobile Urgent Specialized Treatment Clinic
Dr. Zoe Stallings is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Mobile Urgent Specialized Treatment Clinic, known as the MUST CLINIC. Her patients affectionately refer to her as Dr. Zoe. She continues to see patients as a Family Medicine Physician providing medical care to patients as a part of a team at Primary Care on Pomona (Cone Health Medical Group). Her interests include contraception, women's health, violence prevention, and preventative medicine.
Dr. Stallings first got her start in 2010 as a Resident Physician at West Suburban Medical Center. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine with an MD and from the University of Chicago with an undergraduate degree in biology and biological sciences.
18. Christopher Fikry
Chief Executive Officer, Clario
Christopher Fikry is the Chief Executive Officer of Clario. Fikry joins Clario during a trajectory of growth and innovation. Clario was formed from the 2021 merger of ERT and Bioclinica. Clario is a leading technology company that generates the richest clinical evidence in the industry for our pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device partners.
Fikry previously served as head of Global Lab Services for PPD and held senior executive roles at Novartis and Quest Laboratories. Christopher shares a commitment with biopharmaceutical R&D teams to deliver better healthcare options to patients, as well as a commitment to providing high-quality service. Fikry earned an MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, an MBA in healthcare management, and an undergraduate degree in biology from New York University.
19. Scott Purviance
Chief Executive Officer, Amwins Group
Scott Purviance is the Chief Executive Officer of Amwins Group, the largest independent wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products in the US. They are dedicated to serving retail insurance agents by providing property and casualty products, specialty group benefit products, and administrative services. Based in Charlotte, NC, the company operates through more than 160 offices globally and handles premium placements in excess of $33.1 billion annually. Purviance joined Amwins in 2001 as CFO and took on the additional role of COO in 2012. He has served on Amwins’ Board of Directors since 2015.
Purviance began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 1992 serving for seven years in the insurance services assurance practice. After leaving PwC in 1999, Purviance joined the Business Insurance Division of Royal & SunAlliance USA as VP of Finance. Purviance earned a BS in Accounting from Wake Forest University.
20. Mike Gutshall
Chief Executive Officer, Veolia North America
Mike Gutshall is the Chief Executive Officer of Veolia North America, part of Veolia Group. Veolia Group aims to become the benchmark company for ecological transformation. Present on five continents with nearly 213,000 employees, the firm designs and deploys useful and practical solutions for the management of water, waste, and energy that are contributing to a radical turnaround of the current situation.
Through its three complementary activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, to preserve available resources, and to renew them. In 2022, the Veolia group provided 111 million inhabitants with drinking water and 97 million with sanitation, produced nearly 44 million megawatt hours, and recovered 61 million tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved a consolidated revenue of €42.885 billion in 2022. Gutshall began his career in 1995. He graduated from Penn State University.
21. Brian Edwards
President and Chief Executive Officer, ScentAir
Brian Edwards is the President and Chief Executive Officer of ScentAir, the global industry leader in sensory branding and comprehensive scent marketing solutions with customers in 109 countries delivering five billion ScentAir scent impressions per year. ScentAir’s patented delivery systems and high-quality fragrances help enhance environments, communicate brands, and create memorable experiences for clients around the world. The company offers a full spectrum of scent delivery solutions for commercial environments ranging from small retail shops to massive sports stadiums. ScentAir is a fast-growing privately held company located in Charlotte, NC.
Edwards is a Senior Executive and General Manager with a 25+ year track record of driving results and directing strategic business operations in small and medium-sized private businesses, as well as public company Fortune 500 environments. He is a respected, charismatic, visionary leader capable of providing strategic direction and P&L management. He has a reputation for high energy, high integrity, and a proven talent for leading, building, and inspiring top-caliber management teams. Edwards graduated from the University of Rhode Island College of Business with an undergraduate degree in marketing.
22. Lynn Mason
Chief Executive Officer, IVI RMA GLOBAL, America
Lynn Mason is the Chief Executive Officer of IVI RMA GLOBAL, America. IVIRMA Global is the world’s premier fertility group that leads the industry in research, success rates, and patient care. From clinical excellence to research and innovation and teaching the next generation of reproductive endocrinologists, to advancing cutting-edge protocols, standards, and practices in the field. The acronyms IVI and RMA represent the two best-assisted reproduction groups in Europe and the US, respectively.
Mason began her career in 1998. Before joining IVI RMA GLOBAL, she was a President and CEO at Broadstep Behavioral Health (formerly Phoenix Care Systems) and before that, a Regional President at ChenMed. Earlier in her career, she worked with Morgan Stanley as a Financial Analyst. Mason graduated from Stanford University Graduate School of Business with an MBA and from Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School with an undergraduate degree in accounting, finance, and anthropology.
23. Craig Collard
Chief Executive Officer, Heron Therapeutics
Craig Collard is the Chief Executive Officer of Heron Therapeutics, a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on improving the lives of patients by developing and commercializing therapeutic innovations that improve medical care. Collard most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Veloxis Pharmaceutics before it was acquired by Asahi Kasei Corp, a transplant-focused pharmaceutical company with its principal office in Cary, North Carolina.
Prior to joining Veloxis, Collard served as the CEO and the Chairman of the BoD of Cornerstone Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company until it was acquired by Chiesi Farmaceutici in 2014. Before that, Collard served as President and CEO of Carolina Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company which he founded in 2003. Collard holds a BS in Engineering from the Southern College of Technology (now Southern Polytechnic State University).
24. Laura Niklason MD, PhD
President & Chief Executive Officer, Humacyte
Laura Niklason, MD, PhD, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Humacyte, and a physician-scientist. Humacyte is developing a disruptive biotechnology platform to deliver universally implantable bioengineered human tissues and organs designed to improve the lives of patients and transform the practice of medicine. The company develops and manufactures acellular tissues to treat a wide range of diseases, injuries, and chronic conditions.
Dr. Niklason is a member of the National Academies of Engineering and Medicine and serves on the advisory board of Trestle Biotherapeutics. Niklason graduated from the University of Michigan with an MD, from the University of Chicago with a PhD in biophysics, and from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with an undergraduate degree in biophysics.
25. Dr. Alejandro Reti
Chief Executive Officer, Vivify Health
Dr. Alejandro Reti is the Chief Executive Officer of Vivify Health. He first joined the company in 2015 as CMO. Dr. Reti is a physician executive with over 20 years of experience in healthcare IT and services across provider, payer, and life sciences industries including his experience with C-suite and P&L leadership roles (CEO, CMO, CMIO) with an emphasis on innovation and business transformation. He has delivered results in operations (business turnaround and restructuring), product innovation (new product platform launches in remote patient monitoring and unified analytics platform at Optum), and growth.
Previously, Dr. Reti was a VP of Population Health Products at Premier and before that, VP of Provider Solutions at Kyruus. Earlier in his career, he worked with The Advisory Board Company as a Senior Consultant. Dr. Reti earned his MD from Yale University School of Medicine, an MBA in healthcare from Yale School of Management, and an undergraduate degree in psychology from Amherst College.