BJ Schaknowski
CEO, symplr
This episode will air on Thursday, June 19 at 7:00 p.m. ET
You can't define organizational authenticity from your own likeness. It means you have to be willing to accept and even promote different styles and different leadership personas to make the collective whole stronger.
Summary
In this episode of Leadership Matters, Alan Fleischmann sits down with BJ Schaknowski, CEO of symplr, a leading healthcare operations software company. BJ shares his journey from a blue-collar upbringing in upstate New York and service in the Marine Corps Reserve to leading symplr’s mission to automate non-clinical healthcare operations. He discusses the value of mission-driven leadership, the role of diverse teams and how technology and AI can refocus healthcare professionals’ time on patient care, not paperwork. BJ also opens up about his personal leadership values, the lessons he’s learned along the way and the importance of balancing high performance with personal sustainability.
Mentions & Resources
Guest Bio
BJ Schaknowski is a seasoned software industry executive, with over 20 years of experience in leadership roles across a wide variety of operating functions. Before joining symplr, BJ served as the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Vertafore, the world's leading provider of insurance technology. Prior to that, BJ spent four years at LexisNexis Software Solutions in progressively ascending roles, culminating as its SVP Marketing, Sales & Services. He held numerous senior and global leadership roles earlier in his career at CA Technologies, Intuit, and Sage Software. BJ brings his dedication to creating balanced value and outcomes for employees, customers, and shareholders to the symplr community. Deeply committed to philanthropic efforts, BJ was recently appointed to the Susan G. Komen Board of Directors, joining an elite group of nearly two dozen executives from various industries who help govern and advise Komen, which is the world’s leading non-profit breast cancer organization. He is a Fellow of the American College of Health Data Management. BJ earned a BA in Communications from the State University of New York at Geneseo and his MBA at the University of Georgia – Terry College of Business. Schaknowski also served in the United States Marine Corps infantry as an enlisted reservist for 8 years. He lives in Denver with his wife, Heather, and two children.
Transcript
Transcript will be uploaded upon the episode’s premiere.