Awards and Recipients
Financial Executives International (FEI) is the premier association for CFO’s and other
senior financial executives in the United States and Canada.
James Walsh
Health Care Service Corporation
As Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, James Walsh has leadership responsibility for the Financial Services Division of Health Care Service Corporation. In this role, Jim manages and provides strategic direction to the financial operations, accounting, treasury, actuarial, strategic sourcing and tax planning teams. He also advises business development and financial planning, manages financial forecasting and budgets, and oversees the preparation of all financial reporting.
As the largest customer-owned health insurance company in the U.S., HCSC serves more than 26 million people across the country. In 2024, the company managed more than $122 billion in medical spend with $62.8 billion in revenue. The company operates the Blue Cross and Blue Shield® Plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Through a constellation of subsidiaries and strategic investments, HCSC offers a range of products and services, including dental, vision, life and disability benefits; third-party administration solutions; and pharmacy benefits management.
Jim joined HCSC in 2007 as Vice President, Corporate Financial Analysis and assumed roles of increasing scope and responsibility, including Divisional Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, before becoming Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2021. He was promoted to Executive Vice President in 2023.
During his tenure as Chief Financial Officer, Jim helped HCSC financially navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve substantial growth through the strategic acquisitions of Luminare Health and The Cigna Group’s Medicare and CareAllies businesses.
Earlier in his career, Jim spent 18 years in public accounting with Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, where he achieved Partner. During this time he acquired a deep understanding of insurance company operations, accounting practices and internal controls over financial reporting. Jim has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Illinois State University and is a registered CPA and CGMA.
In addition to serving on a number of HCSC’s subsidiary company boards, Jim is a board member of the LIFT USA Foundation and serves on the Board of Trustees of Frances Xavier Warde School as a member of its Executive Committee and Chair of its Finance Committee.