Stephen J. Hemsley

Stephen J. Hemsley (born June 4, 1952) is an American businessman who is the chair of the board and chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group Inc. In August 2017, UnitedHealth announced that Hemsley would be stepping down after more than a decade as CEO and starting a newly created role of executive chairman of the board. Stephen J. Hemsley returned to his prior post on May 13, 2025, after being reappointed as CEO.

A lawsuit was filed against Hemsley, then UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and two other senior executives in May 2024 for alleged fraud and insider trading due to failing to disclose an antitrust investigation into the company by the United States Department of Justice and by selling stock options before the probe was made public. Data concerning these allegations and notice of its report to the Securities and Exchange Commission was initially published in the Minnesota Star Tribune in February 2024.