Consumer tech leader Vivek Sharma joins boards of directors

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated, nonprofit health care organization, has announced that Vivek Sharma, a business leader with extensive experience building and growing organizations through the application of technology and data, has been named to the boards of directors for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals — known as Kaiser Permanente.

“Vivek joins us with a wealth of leadership expertise in helping organizations use technology to improve their products and services, and delight consumers,” said chair and chief executive officer Greg A. Adams.

“As a leader in digital health care, we are well underway in becoming a more consumer-first organization — delivering new and enhanced experiences for our members, patients, and customers — and Vivek brings valuable experience and insights to our boards as we deliver on this critical part of our strategy.”

Sharma is the CEO of InStride, which, as a public benefit company, works with major employers to provide their workforce with higher education opportunities — including degree and certificate programs at global universities — that enhance careers and help create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

Prior to co-founding InStride in 2019, Sharma worked for 6 years at The Walt Disney Company, where he was the senior vice president of Digital Guest Experience and eCommerce, with accountabilities across theme parks, resorts, cruises, guided travel adventures, restaurants, and retail businesses globally. Prior to joining Disney, he spent 4 years with Yahoo as general manager for Yahoo Mail and Messenger, and vice president of Yahoo Search products. Earlier in his career, Sharma served as an associate partner with the technology practice of McKinsey & Company in their Chicago and Singapore offices.

Sharma received his bachelor’s degree in technology from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, in New Delhi, and holds a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD, France.

Sharma serves on the board of JetBlue Airways, including as chair of the Technology Committee. Sharma also serves as an adjunct professor of data science at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, since 2016. He is the author of 2 books: "C-SPARK: CEO-led Workforce Education for the AGE of AND" and "WIREFRAMED: Simplifying Digital Innovation for Business Leaders."

Sharma’s term on the boards begins December 1, 2022.