Dr. Celeste Player serves as Senior Vice President, Account Management and Business Operations for Evernorth Health Services. In this role, she oversees Commercial Account Management, Pharmacy Benefit Services Operations, Express Scripts Canada, and EviCore, leading organizations responsible for delivering exceptional client experiences, driving operational excellence, and advancing strategic growth across the enterprise.
Her responsibilities span client retention and growth, business operations, medical benefit management, and pharmacy benefits transformation, helping create greater value, affordability, and health outcomes for the millions of patients served by Evernorth.
Known for her ability to lead complex organizations and drive enterprise transformation, Celeste plays a pivotal role in advancing Evernorth’s growth strategy and accelerating the adoption of innovative healthcare solutions. She oversees a diverse portfolio of businesses and functions, partnering across the organization to strengthen client relationships, improve operational performance, and position the business for continued growth.
During her nearly two decades with the organization, Celeste has held executive leadership roles across sales and clinical account management, operations, pharmacy practice, strategy and transformation, supply chain, and medical benefits management. Her broad experience, combined with her collaborative leadership style, has enabled her to successfully lead large-scale transformations while building high-performing teams focused on serving patients, physicians, clients, and stakeholders.
A dedicated advocate for leadership development and community impact, Celeste serves on the boards of The Cigna Group Foundation, Rx Outreach, and the Xavier University of Louisiana Board of Trustees. She also serves as Co-Director of the BEST Healthcare Institute, a STEM-based program that exposes high school students to careers in healthcare and helps cultivate the next generation of healthcare leaders.
Celeste is a graduate of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Fellows Program, the Transformational Leadership Program for Multicultural Women, The Cigna Group’s Senior Leader Talent Pool, and McKinsey Academy’s Black Executive Leadership Program. She has been recognized by Savoy Magazine as one of the Most Influential Executives in Corporate America and one of the Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America and has also been
honored by the YWCA Academy of Leaders and the St. Louis Business Journal as a Diverse Business Leader. Celeste earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy.
