As president and chief operating officer of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield (which he left earlier this year), Dave Snow had an eventful career, including managing the carrier after the destruction of its World Trade Center headquarters on Sept. 11, 2001, and helping to bring Empire public last fall under the WellChoice name. Snow now faces a new set of opportunities and challenges as president and CEO of Medco Health Solutions (Franklin Lakes, NJ), a provider of prescription healthcare services.

Snow's tenure at Empire was dedicated to directing a turnaround of the New York-based carrier. "We needed a sea change, as opposed to incremental change, and developed new tools, including a far-reaching information infrastructure that became the backbone supporting an overall business transformation," he says. "The technology platform enabled us to deliver on our commitment to operational excellence, streamlining business processes and developing capabilities that better served our clients.'

Snow sees his move to Medco as a continuation of a 25-year career focus on healthcare, and as the result of "a confluence of timing and opportunity." His previous carrier experience includes senior positions at Oxford Health Plans (Norwalk, CT), Managed Health Care Systems (Reston, VA) and American International Healthcare (Rockville, MD).