MINNEAPOLIS, November 9, 2020 —The Minnesota Technology Association (MnTech) is pleased to announce it will honor the careers of two outstanding technology leaders with Lifetime Achievement Awards at its 23rd annual Tekne Awards celebration on November 18th. The recipients of this special recognition, Rick King of Thomson Reuters and John Santelli of UnitedHealth Group, have not only contributed greatly to the success of their respective organizations, their technology leadership has had a profound and enduring impact on our broader community on both a local and global scale.
Rick King serves as Managing Director of Thomson Reuters and has held numerous executive-level roles since joining the company in 2000, including those of CIO and CTO. Prior to Thomson Reuters, Rick held executive-level positions at Ceridian Employer Services, Jostens Learning and WICAT Systems. He began his career as a teacher and coach in Vermont.
In 2019, Rick was named by Governor Tim Walz to chair the state’s Blue Ribbon Council on Information Technology. The Governor also reappointed him to chair the Metropolitan Airports Commission, where he has served since 2011 having been appointed twice by Governor Mark Dayton. He was named by former Governor Tim Pawlenty to chair Minnesota’s Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force. Rick serves on the board of trustees for Minnesota Public Radio as well as the board of directors for TCF Financial Corporation, where he chairs its technology committee.
Rick earned bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of Vermont as well as a Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
John Santelli serves as the Chief Information Officer of UnitedHealth Group and Executive Vice President of Optum Technology, the technology delivery division of Optum serving the broad customer base of Optum and UnitedHealthcare. John joined UnitedHealth Group in 1986 and has extensive experience in software engineering and application development. He has served as CIO since 2007 and is credited for leading the enterprise architecture and foundational technology capabilities within UnitedHealth Group.
John has a strong background in the software engineering of high-volume transaction processing systems across administrative, financial and clinical related systems, and has played a pivotal role in technology growth and development at UnitedHealth Group.
John holds a master’s degree in software engineering from Union College and received his Bachelor of Science in computer science from State University of New York, Brockport.
The Minnesota Technology Association is proud to honor the remarkable careers of Rick King and John Santelli with special Tekne Awards for Lifetime Achievement. This year’s Tekne Awards will be an online virtual celebration held on November 18th at 4:00 pm. Awards will be presented in 16 industry categories in addition to the new Rising Star Award and a special COVID-19 Community Impact Award. There is no cost to attend with more details and registration information at www.mntech.org/2020-tekne-awards/.
About the Minnesota Technology Association:
The Minnesota Technology Association is a coalition of more than 250 member companies united in building a stronger tech ecosystem and innovation economy in Minnesota. Formerly known as the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA), the organization works to ensure that Minnesota’s technology-driven companies have access to exceptional talent, dedicated public policy advocates, and are part of an innovative, inclusive technology community. Learn more at mntech.org.
About Thomson Reuters:
Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges (symbol: TRI).
About UnitedHealth Group:
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and helping to make the health system work better for everyone. UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which provides information and technology-enabled health services. For more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at www.unitedhealthgroup.com.
