Colella takes the helm at the newly-formed healthcare technology company that aims to modernize health plans via its artificial intelligence-driven technology innovation platform
Stellarus, a healthcare technology company linked to Blue Shield of California, has named Vanessa Colella as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Colella has a lot of experience from her previous roles in innovation and digital partnerships at Visa and Citi, where she worked on making consumer experiences easier, quicker, and more clear. Paul Markovich, CEO of Ascendiun, the non-profit company that oversees Stellarus and Blue Shield of California, welcomed Colella’s leadership. He said, “Vanessa has worked where technology, financial services, and media meet, and I believe she will lead boldly in developing the special solutions we need in healthcare. Her smart, practical, and team-oriented way of approaching innovation and getting things done quickly is exactly what Stellarus needs.”
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Ascendiun was created in early 2025 to manage Blue Shield of California and its associated companies, Altais and Stellarus. Before Colella took charge at Stellarus, Markovich was serving as the interim President. Colella has led Visa’s digital-first product strategy and managed its global network of Innovation Centers. While at Citi as Chief Innovation Officer, she promoted simplifying processes, redesigning how the company operates, and using new technology to drive growth and innovation in their services.
Colella said there’s a need for healthcare to move faster, just like digital consumers expect. She added, “We need healthcare to move at the speed we expect as digital consumers. At Stellarus, we have a great chance to go beyond small changes in this industry and work with health plans to create real results for their members.”
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Stellarus works with health plans by offering a technology platform that tries to cut down administrative costs, slow the rise in healthcare costs, improve member and provider satisfaction, and meet quality standards. These partnerships help health plans stay focused locally while updating their operations and lowering healthcare expenses.
She also said, “I’m excited to work with the Stellarus team as we imagine new ways to use advanced technologies and artificial intelligence to help health plans and members get affordable and effective care.” She mentioned that there will be some big and exciting news from Stellarus in the coming months.
This change in leadership shows a strong effort to bring innovation and efficiency to healthcare technology, combining Colella’s experience in financial services with Stellarus’s goal to change how health plan operations work.
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