PITTSBURGH, Pa., Feb. 26, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Today, Highmark Health announced that longtime board of director Chairman J. Robert Baum, Ph.D. is stepping down as chairman of the board of directors and will be succeeded by Joseph C. Guyaux, senior vice chairman of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and president and chief executive officer, PNC Mortgage. Additionally, Highmark Health President and Chief Executive Officer David L. Holmberg will become the chairman of the board of directors of Highmark Inc.; both changes are effective as of Wednesday.
"I am honored to have been elected as the chairman of the board for Highmark Health, the parent organization for a group of companies that are trusted partners to customers, members and patients in the communities we serve," commented Mr. Guyaux. "This is a particularly dynamic time for our enterprise, as we successfully navigated the marketplace in the wake of health care reform, responded to heightened competition and continued the drive to diversify so that we have a broad base from which to serve customers. I am proud to follow Bob Baum, who has provided inspired leadership at critical junctures and helped position the company for growth and success. We will remember his calm presence, thoughtfulness and genuine interest in the people we serve and in the business he helped guide."
"I appreciate the board's confidence in allowing me the opportunity to serve as the chairman of the Highmark Inc. board of directors," said Mr. Holmberg. "The businesses comprising Highmark Inc. show the depth of our diversity as we seek to transform health care to better meet the evolving needs of our customers. Additionally, on behalf of all the employees of Highmark Health, I want to express our appreciation to Bob Baum, who dedicated himself to our mission for 35 years."
Prior to being named to his current position this month, Guyaux, who has worked at PNC for 42 years, was senior vice chairman and chief risk officer with responsibility for PNC's enterprise-wide risk management program, including operating, compliance, credit and market risk.
Guyaux joined PNC in 1972 and, after holding several management positions, was named senior vice president and manager of Metropolitan Commercial Banking in Pittsburgh in 1989. In 1991, he was elected president of PNC's northeast Pennsylvania market. Guyaux returned to Pittsburgh in 1993 as retail market manager and was named manager, PNC Private Bank in 1995. In 1997, he was appointed deputy manager of Retail Banking and later that year he was named chief executive officer of that business. In that role, Guyaux instituted a successful customer-focused strategy that has resulted in increases in net income, customer and employee satisfaction and extensive employee volunteerism. He became responsible for PNC's middle market, corporate finance, capital markets, asset-based lending, treasury management, leasing and wealth management businesses in 2001 and 2002. Guyaux was appointed president of The PNC Financial Services Group Inc. in 2002, a position he held until February 2012, when he was named senior vice chairman and chief risk officer.
Guyaux previously served as a member of the Highmark Inc. board of directors from 2004–2012 and as a member of several committees. Guyaux is chairman of the board of directors for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and a life trustee of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. In addition, he serves as chairman of the board of managers of DQE Holdings LLC. He was elected an emeritus member of the board of directors of Duquesne University in October 2009.
Guyaux and his wife are lifelong residents of western Pennsylvania.
Holmberg was appointed Highmark Health's president and chief executive officer in May 2014, following seven years of service in a series of executive positions within the company. Most recently, he was president of diversified businesses for Highmark Inc., where he was responsible for businesses representing more than $3.5 billion in revenue. He has also served as chief executive officer for HVHC Inc. and chief executive officer and chairman for HM Insurance Group, United Concordia Dental and San Antonio, Texas-based Visionworks, formerly Eye Care Centers of America (ECCA).
Dr. Baum will continue to serve as a member of the board of directors of HVHC, Highmark Health's vision affiliate, which is comprised of Davis Vision and Visionworks. He will also join the board of directors of HM Insurance Group as well as the board of directors of Highmark Health's dental affiliate, United Concordia, and its subsidiaries.
About Highmark Health
Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA based enterprise that employs more than 35,000 people nationwide and serves 40 million Americans in all 50 states, is the third largest integrated health care delivery and financing network in the nation. Highmark Health is the parent company of Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, and HM Health Solutions. Highmark Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates provide health insurance to 5.3 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware as well as dental insurance, vision care and related health products through a national network of diversified businesses that include United Concordia Companies, HM Insurance Group, Davis Vision and Visionworks. Allegheny Health Network is the parent company of an integrated delivery network that includes eight hospitals, a community-based network of physician organizations, and a group purchasing organization, ambulatory surgery centers, and health and wellness pavilions in western Pennsylvania. HM Health Solutions focuses on meeting the information technology platform and other business needs of the Highmark Health enterprise as well as unaffiliated health insurance plans by providing proven business processes, expert knowledge and integrated cloud-based platforms. To learn more, please visit http://www.highmarkhealth.org.
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