Vanessa Colella Appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Shield of California Sister Company, Stellarus

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

OAKLAND, Calif., July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Stellarus today announced that Vanessa Colella, who previously held global leadership roles in innovation and digital partnerships at Visa and Citi, has been appointed to serve as the healthcare technology company's President and Chief Executive Officer.

"It's my pleasure to welcome Vanessa to Stellarus and the Ascendiun family of companies," said Paul Markovich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ascendiun. "With Vanessa's experience working at the intersection of technology, financial services, and media, I am confident that she will boldly lead the development of the unique solutions we need in health care. Her strategic, pragmatic, and collaborative approach to innovation and getting work done at a rapid pace is just what Stellarus needs."

In January 2025, Blue Shield of California announced the creation of Ascendiun, a non-profit parent company that oversees Blue Shield of California, Altais, and Stellarus. Veteran health plan CEO Paul Markovich took the reins of the parent company and served as interim President at Stellarus until Vanessa assumed the role this week.

As a global leader in the financial services industry, Colella is experienced in meeting consumers' needs for simpler, real-time, and transparent experiences. Most recently, she directed the development and commercialization of Visa's digital-first products and services as their Global Head of Innovation and Digital Partnerships. Colella also oversaw Visa's global network of Innovation Centers. As Citi's Chief Innovation Officer, she leveraged the power of process simplification, operating model redesign, and new technologies to drive growth and innovation across Citi's businesses, clients, and partners.

"We need health care to move at the speed we expect as digital consumers," said Vanessa Colella. "At Stellarus, we have a tremendous opportunity to move past incremental change in this industry and work with health plans to drive meaningful outcomes for their members."

Stellarus partners with health plans, which will leverage its unique technology innovation platform to help drive administrative cost savings, reduce the cost of healthcare trend, increase member and provider net promoter scores, and uphold quality targets – vastly improving efficiency and affordability. Through their partnership with Stellarus, health plans are able to maintain their local independence, continuing to focus their resources and expertise on improving the long-term health of their communities, while also modernizing their business operations and driving down the cost of health care.

"I am thrilled to work with the Stellarus team as we reimagine how advanced technologies and artificial intelligence can be applied to help health plans and members move forward with affordable and effective care," said Colella. "Expect some big and exciting news from Stellarus in the coming months."

About Stellarus
Part of the Ascendiun family of companies, which includes Blue Shield of California and Altais, Stellarus is a healthcare technology company that aims to drive measurable outcomes for health plans with products and services built and delivered via its technology innovation platform. Stellarus' unique technology model is designed to enable plans to automate and improve operations, reduce costs, and enhance member experiences. We're changing the status quo by empowering health plans to create a healthcare experience worthy of their family, friends and neighbors.

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SOURCE Stellarus