UnitedHealth Group Expands Leadership Team with Appointment of Jodee Kozlak as Chief Administrative Officer
UnitedHealth Group is strengthening its executive leadership structure with the appointment of Jodee Kozlak as chief administrative officer, effective September 28, 2026. The newly created position is designed to support the company’s enterprise modernization and alignment efforts across key corporate functions, with Kozlak initially overseeing People, Real Estate, Procurement and Corporate Security.
The appointment comes as UnitedHealth Group continues efforts to simplify its operations, strengthen accountability and improve coordination across its businesses. The company has described broader management and operational changes during 2026 as part of an effort to improve execution, reinforce alignment and support its healthcare mission.
Jodee Kozlak Takes on Newly Created Leadership Role
Kozlak will join UnitedHealth Group at a time when the organization is undertaking a broad modernization effort. As chief administrative officer, she will be responsible for a portfolio of functions that play an important role in how the company manages its workforce, corporate infrastructure, purchasing activities and security operations.
The newly established position brings together several enterprise-level responsibilities under one leadership role. People operations will focus on supporting the company’s workforce and organizational capabilities, while Real Estate will oversee the corporate facilities and property portfolio. Procurement will remain central to managing supplier relationships and purchasing activities, while Corporate Security will support the protection of the organization, its people and its assets.
According to the company, Kozlak’s responsibilities will include helping drive modernization and alignment efforts across the enterprise. The role is therefore positioned beyond the management of individual administrative functions, with an emphasis on coordination and organizational effectiveness.
UnitedHealth Group operates through two major businesses, UnitedHealthcare and Optum. UnitedHealthcare provides health benefits and coverage, while Optum delivers healthcare services and solutions supported by technology and data. The company says these complementary businesses work toward its broader mission of helping people live healthier lives and improving how the healthcare system operates.
Leadership Experience Across Strategy and Organizational Development
Kozlak brings extensive experience in business leadership, human resources, legal affairs, organizational development and corporate governance to her new position.
Before joining UnitedHealth Group, Kozlak served as global senior vice president of Alibaba Group from 2016 to 2017. During her time with the company, she was involved in its expansion beyond China, providing experience in international business growth and organizational development.
Her career also includes more than a decade at Target Corp., where she held multiple leadership positions spanning human resources and legal functions. From 2004 through 2015, she served as executive vice president and chief human resources officer, among other leadership responsibilities.
Her experience at Target provided exposure to large-scale workforce management, organizational strategy and corporate operations. The combination of human resources and legal leadership also gave her experience working across business functions that require coordination between employees, management, corporate policies and governance.
Before joining Target, Kozlak worked as both a lawyer and accountant. Her professional background therefore combines legal, financial, human resources and business management experience.
That breadth of experience is relevant to her new UnitedHealth Group position, where multiple corporate functions will report into a newly established administrative leadership structure.
Corporate Governance Experience
In addition to her executive management background, Kozlak has experience serving on corporate boards.She currently serves as chair of the board of C.H. Robinson Worldwide and as lead independent director of KB Home. These responsibilities have provided additional exposure to board governance, oversight and strategic decision-making.
UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley highlighted Kozlak’s background in business strategy, organizational development and governance when discussing the appointment.The combination of operating experience and board-level responsibilities is expected to contribute to her role as UnitedHealth Group works to strengthen coordination among its corporate functions.
Supporting Enterprise Modernization
UnitedHealth Group has been pursuing changes to its operating model during 2026. The company has said it is working to simplify operations, improve accountability, strengthen performance and increase transparency. Its broader transformation agenda includes changes to management structures and efforts to improve consistency across its businesses.The creation of a chief administrative officer position fits within that broader organizational focus.
Rather than treating People, Real Estate, Procurement and Corporate Security as completely separate administrative areas, the new structure places these functions under a common senior executive. This can provide a centralized point of leadership for areas that support the company’s employees, physical infrastructure, suppliers and corporate environment.
The approach also comes as UnitedHealth Group continues investing in technology and operational modernization. The company has said it expects to invest nearly $1.5 billion in artificial-intelligence-related initiatives during 2026, while using technology and digital tools to improve experiences for consumers and care providers.
Although Kozlak’s initial portfolio is primarily focused on corporate and administrative functions, the role sits within this larger modernization environment.
Focus on People and Organizational Capabilities
One of the most significant areas within Kozlak’s portfolio will be People.
Large healthcare organizations depend on employees across clinical, administrative, technology, customer service and corporate functions. Managing workforce capabilities and organizational structures is therefore an important component of enterprise operations.
Kozlak’s previous experience as a chief human resources officer gives her a background directly connected to workforce strategy. Her leadership at Target included responsibility for human resources at a large organization, while her broader career included legal and strategic responsibilities.
At UnitedHealth Group, this experience will be applied within an organization that operates across multiple healthcare businesses and serves millions of people.
The company has also emphasized its workforce as part of its broader mission. UnitedHealth Group describes itself as a healthcare and well-being company with employees working across UnitedHealthcare and Optum to improve health outcomes and make healthcare more accessible and connected.
Real Estate and Procurement Responsibilities
Real Estate and Procurement will also form part of Kozlak’s initial responsibilities.
Real estate management can involve corporate workplaces, facilities and other physical infrastructure required to support a large enterprise. Procurement, meanwhile, covers purchasing activities and relationships with external suppliers.
Bringing these functions into the chief administrative officer portfolio gives UnitedHealth Group a centralized leadership structure for several areas that influence how the organization operates behind the scenes.
Procurement can also have an important role in enterprise efficiency because healthcare companies rely on extensive networks of suppliers, technology providers and other business partners. Coordinating purchasing and supplier activities can support broader operational objectives.
Similarly, corporate real estate is connected to workforce strategy as organizations continue to evaluate how employees work and how physical facilities should support business requirements.
Corporate Security as Part of the Portfolio
Corporate Security will be another key responsibility under Kozlak’s leadership.
For a large healthcare organization, corporate security encompasses the protection of people, facilities, operations and other organizational assets. The function can also intersect with broader enterprise risk management and business continuity requirements.
Including Corporate Security within the newly created chief administrative officer portfolio creates another connection between workforce management, physical infrastructure and organizational protection.
Together, the four initial areas — People, Real Estate, Procurement and Corporate Security — represent functions that support the company’s ability to operate across its businesses.
Leadership Appointment Comes During Broader Company Changes
Kozlak’s appointment follows a period of significant leadership and organizational changes at UnitedHealth Group.
Stephen Hemsley returned as chief executive officer in May 2025 after Andrew Witty stepped down from the role. The company subsequently announced additional leadership changes, including the appointment of Wayne S. DeVeydt as chief financial officer in 2025.
During 2026, UnitedHealth Group has continued to communicate changes intended to strengthen execution and operational alignment. The company says nearly half of its top 100 leaders have moved into new or expanded roles as part of a broader effort to re-energize its culture and reinforce its mission.
Kozlak’s appointment represents another addition to that evolving leadership structure.
The timing also coincides with changes to the company’s portfolio. UnitedHealth Group has said it is continuing to refocus its portfolio around its U.S. business and core healthcare priorities, including changes involving international assets and efforts to strengthen operations at Optum.
CEO Highlights Kozlak’s Experience
Commenting on the appointment, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley said Kozlak brings experience spanning business strategy, organizational development and governance.
Hemsley also pointed to her record of leading through periods of growth and transformation, noting that her experience will support the company’s efforts to improve how it operates, collaborates and serves stakeholders.
The appointment consequently reflects more than the addition of another executive to the leadership team. It establishes a new senior-level position intended to coordinate several functions that influence the company’s internal operations.
Kozlak Outlines Her Priorities
Kozlak said she was attracted to UnitedHealth Group because of its mission and the impact of its businesses across healthcare.In her comments about the appointment, she expressed an intention to work with teams across the enterprise to advance the company’s strategy, strengthen capabilities, support employees and deliver on commitments to the people served by UnitedHealth Group.
Her statement reflects the broad scope of the new position, particularly its combination of organizational, operational and workforce responsibilities.The company’s stated mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the healthcare system work better. UnitedHealth Group operates through UnitedHealthcare and Optum, which respectively focus on health benefits and healthcare services and solutions.
Broader Operational Modernization
UnitedHealth Group’s current modernization efforts extend beyond administrative restructuring.The company has been pursuing initiatives related to healthcare affordability, patient and provider experiences, technology and operational performance. In 2026, it announced measures to reduce prior authorization requirements and expand standardized electronic prior authorization processes.
The company has also highlighted investments in artificial intelligence and digital tools. These initiatives are intended to simplify interactions with the healthcare system and reduce administrative burdens for consumers and providers. Against this backdrop, strengthening corporate functions can complement broader changes taking place across the organization.
Kozlak will officially begin her new position on September 28, 2026. Her appointment establishes the chief administrative officer position as a new component of UnitedHealth Group’s senior leadership structure.Her responsibilities will initially encompass People, Real Estate, Procurement and Corporate Security, bringing together several corporate functions under a single executive leader.
Her previous experience at Alibaba and Target, combined with her background in law, accounting and corporate governance, provides a diverse professional foundation for the role. Her current board leadership positions at C.H. Robinson Worldwide and KB Home further add to her governance experience.
For UnitedHealth Group, the appointment comes as the company continues to reorganize parts of its leadership structure and pursue operational modernization. The organization has publicly identified simplification, accountability, performance and alignment as important areas of its ongoing work.
The newly created chief administrative officer role is expected to support those efforts by providing centralized leadership across several enterprise functions. As Kozlak begins her tenure, her responsibilities will include supporting the company’s people, infrastructure, procurement activities and security operations while working with teams across UnitedHealth Group’s businesses.
The appointment adds another layer to the company’s evolving leadership structure as UnitedHealth Group continues its focus on organizational capabilities, operational execution and its broader healthcare mission.
Source link: https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/
