Top 10: Hospital Leaders

Leading a world-class hospital requires far more than clinical expertise. Today’s hospital CEOs and leaders are navigating rising demand, workforce pressures, financial constraints and rapid AI advances, while continuing to prioritise patient outcomes and quality of care.

At the same time, many are reshaping how hospitals approach research, innovation, digital transformation and community health.

From Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic to Karolinska University Hospital and Charité, this list profiles the leaders steering some of the world’s most prominent healthcare institutions, highlighting the experience, achievements and strategies shaping the future of global healthcare. 

The leaders are from the world’s top hospitals and are ordered by the size of the hospitals they oversee.

10. Dr. Kevin Smith – President & CEO

Hospital: University Health Network - Toronto General Hospital 

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada 

Number of beds: 417

Dr. Kevin Smith is President and CEO of University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Canada’s largest academic health sciences centre and one of the world’s top hospitals. A Professor across several institutions, his career has spanned research, education and clinical care. 

Under his leadership, UHN has expanded its network with the addition of West Park Healthcare Centre. The organisation has also opened a new clinical and academic site, bringing together cancer care, education and AI to support its broader healthcare and research ambitions. 

He has held numerous leadership roles, including Chair of the Ontario Hospital Association and Canada Foundation for Innovation.

9. Dr. Monika Jänicke – CEO 

Hospital: University Hospital Zurich

Location: Zurich, Switzerland 

Number of beds: 900

Dr. Monika Jänicke is CEO and Chairwoman of the Hospital Management Board at University Hospital Zurich (UHZ), a position she has held since June 2023. 

A chemist by training, she earned a PhD in organometallic chemistry from the University of Zurich.

Monika brings extensive international pharmaceutical leadership experience, having held senior roles at Merck Sharp & Dohme and Novartis, including leading Novartis’ pharmaceutical businesses in Switzerland and France. 

She is also a member of the Heart Failure Working Group at the Swiss Society of Cardiology.

8. Dr. Anne Klibanski – President & CEO 

Hospital: Mass General Brigham

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Number of beds: 1,050

Dr. Anne Klibanski is President and CEO of Mass General Brigham, one of the US’s leading integrated academic healthcare systems. Appointed in 2019, she has driven the organisation’s vision for patient-centred care, clinical integration, digital health and research. 

With 85,000 employees and US$22bn in annual revenue, Mass General Brigham is the largest private employer in Massachusetts and a major recipient of National Institutes of Health funding. Klibanski is also internationally recognised for her research in neuroendocrine disorders and pituitary tumours.

7. Dr. Redonda Miller – President

Hospital: John Hopkins Hospital

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Number of beds: 1,150

Dr. Redonda Miller is President of Johns Hopkins Hospital, a 1,100-bed academic medical centre with more than 11,000 employees serving Baltimore and the surrounding areas.

Appointed in 2016 as the hospital’s first female President, she has focused on clinical excellence, patient safety, quality and community health. 

A practising internist, Miller arrived at Johns Hopkins as a medical student in 1988 and later held senior clinical and administrative roles. She has been recognised for her leadership through induction into the National Academy of Medicine and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame.

6. Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic – CEO & President 

Hospital: Cleveland Clinic 

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Number of beds: 1,400

Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic is President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic, leading the US$13bn global healthcare system since 2018. 

With 22 hospitals, 275 outpatient locations and 76,700 caregivers worldwide, Cleveland Clinic operates across the US, UK, Canada and UAE. A cardiac surgeon by training, Tomislav previously led Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, overseeing its opening and development. 

His leadership focuses on clinical excellence, innovation, research, education and creating a patient- and caregiver-centred healthcare organisation. 

5. Dr. Christophe Pedroletti – CEO

Hospital: Karolinska University Hospital

Location: Solna/Stockholm, Sweden 

Number of beds: 1,600

Dr. Christophe Pedroletti is CEO of Karolinska University Hospital, having taken up the role in October 2024. A paediatrician by training, he brings extensive clinical, research and leadership experience to the role, including previous CEO positions at Södertälje and Danderyd hospitals. 

His research has focused on paediatric allergology, and he co-founded the Swedish National Airway Register. He previously led paediatric services at Karolinska and Akademiska University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden.

4. Prof. Yitshak Kreiss – Director General

Hospital: Sheba Medical Centre

Location: Ramat Gan, Israel 

Number of beds: 1,700

Prof. Yitshak Kreiss has been Director General of Israel’s largest hospital, Sheba Medical Centre, since 2016. 

An internationally recognised expert in emergency medicine and disaster response, he has led humanitarian medical missions and treated victims of conflict, terrorism and natural disasters worldwide, including in Kosovo, Haiti, Syria, Egypt and the Philippines. 

His research has contributed to the development of modern emergency medical response practices, while his expertise in disaster medicine has earned international recognition for his contributions to global medical relief.

3. Prof. Tan Hiang Khoon – CEO

Hospital: Singapore General Hospital

Location: Singapore 

Number of beds: 1,800

Prof. Tan Hiang Khoon is CEO of Singapore General Hospital and Senior Consultant at the National Cancer Centre Singapore. 

A graduate of the National University of Singapore, he trained in general surgery before specialising in head and neck surgical oncology in Paris.

He pioneered endoscopic and robotic head and neck surgery in Singapore, with research focused on head and neck cancer and biomarkers. He has also been recognised for his contributions to childhood cancer care.

2. Dr. Gianrico Farrugia – President & CEO 

Hospital: Mayo Clinic - Rochester 

Location: Rochester, Minnesota

Number of beds: 2,059

Dr. Gianrico Farrugia is President and CEO of the wider Mayo Clinic organisation, as well as its pioneering hospital network in Rochester, Minnesota. 

Leading 82,000 staff who treat approximately 1.3 million patients annually, he is driving healthcare transformation through digital innovation, AI and patient-centred care. 

Under his leadership, Mayo Clinic has launched Mayo Clinic Platform and committed more than US$7bn to reimagining its physical and digital infrastructure.

A Mayo Clinic physician for more than 35 years, Gianrico is a Professor of Medicine and Physiology and an NIH-funded researcher with more than 390 academic publications. 

He previously led Mayo Clinic in Florida, the Centre for Individualised Medicine and co-founded the Centre for Innovation. He is a leading voice on responsible AI and healthcare innovation, including through the National Academy of Medicine. 

Gianrico is set to step down at the end of 2026.

1. Prof. Heyo Kroemer – CEO

Hospital: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin  

Location: Berlin, Germany 

Number of beds: 3,000+

Prof. Heyo Kroemer is CEO of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, one of the world’s leading hospitals and one of Europe's largest medical facilities.

Previously CEO and Dean of University Medical Center Göttingen, he also served as Dean of the Medical Faculty and Scientific Director of University Medical Center Greifswald. 

A pharmacist and pharmacologist by training, Kroemer conducted research at the universities of Basel and Vanderbilt before becoming Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Bonn. He is Chairman of the University Council of the Technical University of Munich and a member of Germany’s Leopoldina and the German Academy of Engineering Sciences.