Bharani Surya Gunasekharan

Director Sourcing & Procurement @UnitedHealth Group

Nashville, TN, US

As a trusted advisor to business and technology executives, I partner across the enterprise to shape strategic procurement decisions that drive measurable impact. I’m passionate about transforming procurement from a transactional function into a strategic enabler — optimizing spend, mitigating risk, and elevating vendor performance to fuel business growth.Key Highlights:• Led procurement strategy for over $300M in annual spend across pharmacy software, labor, data subscriptions, pharmacy services, equipment, and consumables, HR services, Professional services, delivering significant savings and efficiency improvements.• Strengthened team performance and long-term capability through mentorship, targeted training, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.• Reduced organizational risk and improved commercial outcomes through expert negotiation of complex fee structures and MSA/MSaaS contracts.• Championed enterprise-level procurement transformation projects that enhanced collaboration, streamlined processes, and increased transparency across business units.• Developed strong vendor alliances in human capital technologies and marketing/advertising services, driving innovation and mutual value creation.• Stepped into director-level leadership responsibilities, expanding category scope, managing high-performing teams, and influencing new business units and acquisitions to leverage the procurement function for strategic advantage.