Spencer Stuart Taps New Leader for Healthcare Organization Swedish

June 23, 2017 – After an extensive search, Dr. Guy Hudson has been named chief executive officer of Swedish Health Services. The organization enlisted Spencer Stuart to find its new leader. After an evaluation process led by the board and Spencer Stuart, the trustees voted unanimously to select Dr. Hudson, who has served as interim CEO since February and has practiced at Swedish for the past decade.

Dr. Hudson is a pediatric urologic surgeon and executive physician leader. As CEO, he will continue to work closely with the board, medical staff, administrative leadership and 13,000 caregivers across Swedish to ensure the continued delivery of high-quality and safe care for all patients.

The Right Fit

“Dr. Hudson is exceptional,” said Teresa Bigelow, chair of the Swedish board of trustees. “He embodies the best of Swedish: putting our patients first, listening to our caregivers and working collaboratively to address complex healthcare issues in new and innovative ways. Dr. Hudson is a natural, next-generation leader with an amazing amount of integrity and a true desire to do what is right for our organization, our patients and our community. All of this, combined with his excellence and expertise as a physician and administrator in healthcare, made Dr. Hudson our best choice for CEO.”

To ensure the selection process was thorough, thoughtful and impartial, the Swedish board worked with Spencer Stuart to implement a complete assessment of the CEO position. Committee members included physicians, nurses and other staff. The process involved interviews with members of Swedish’s clinical and administrative leadership, a survey of cross-functional leaders and in-depth interviews with individuals who have worked closely with Dr. Hudson.

“Our goal with the CEO selection process was to make the decision that was in the best interest of Swedish and our patients for the long term,” said Janet True, vice chair of the Swedish board of trustees. “Dr. Hudson is the right choice for Swedish, today and well into the future. He has already brought energy and passion to the role and engaged thousands of our caregivers in meaningful ways.”

“He will serve our organization, patients, caregivers and community well,” Ms. True said. “In addition to his integrity and leadership skills, Dr. Hudson is incredibly approachable. He has a sense of humor and great listening skills that will be put to good use in the ever-changing healthcare industry.”


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Trusted Leader

Dr. Hudson served in several leadership roles during his 10 years at Swedish, including Western Washington chief of physician services, chief medical officer for Swedish Medical Group and executive director of pediatrics for all of Swedish. During his nearly four-month tenure as interim CEO, he demonstrated strong leadership and made key hires, including a new chief medical officer. He has also built trust with caregivers, engaged physicians as partners, improved governance, and infused the organization with positive energy. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington.

“I will ensure that Swedish remains a patient-centered organization that makes the right decisions for our patients and community,” said Dr. Hudson. “I will be the chief advocate and champion for our amazing caregivers and medical staff throughout the system.”

Founded in 1910, Swedish is the largest not-for-profit healthcare provider in the Seattle area. It includes five hospital campuses, ambulatory care centers and Swedish Medical Group, a network of more than 180 primary and specialty care locations throughout the Puget Sound area.

Spencer Stuart’s CEO practice, for its part, has conducted nearly 1,500 CEO search and succession assignments over the past five years. Veteran recruiter Jim Citrin leads the firm’s North American CEO sector group. During his 20-plus years with the firm, Mr. Citrin has worked with clients on more than 600 CEO, board director, CFO and other top management searches and CEO succession assignments.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Chase Barbe, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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