Fernando Schwartz has been appointed as the Senior Vice President and Chief AI Officer at Claritev (formerly known as MultiPlan), where he is tasked with leading the company’s artificial intelligence initiatives, overseeing the implementation of AI-driven solutions, and charting the strategic AI path for the organization. He is committed to leveraging the latest technology to maximize value and ensure AI integration where it matters the most.
With a career that spans both senior leadership roles in large, Fortune 250 companies and pivotal positions within startups, Fernando brings deep technical knowledge and business acumen to his new role. His career is a testament to the importance of combining technical expertise, strategic vision, and team leadership to drive impactful AI adoption across diverse industries.
Fernando’s leadership journey began in the academic world. As a tenured professor of mathematics and data science, he cultivated a strong foundation in complex problem-solving, which laid the groundwork for his transition into business leadership roles. His unique blend of deep technical knowledge and commercial insight has made him a sought-after leader in AI and data science teams.
He has built and led high-performing AI and analytics teams across the globe, bringing innovative solutions to companies and industries on a massive scale. His experience spans sectors, with a deep focus on healthcare, financial services, and technology, where his work has continually pushed the boundaries of AI’s capabilities in both large corporations and nimble startups.
His Key Professional Roles
SVP, Chief AI Officer at Claritev (Feb 2025 – Present) Fernando’s current role at Claritev is at the forefront of the company’s AI strategy. As the SVP and Chief AI Officer, he oversees all AI efforts across the organization, ensuring the seamless integration of AI technologies that drive the company’s growth. In his role, he is charged with enhancing the company’s AI strategy, leveraging AI for real-time applications, and empowering teams to build scalable and innovative AI solutions that make a real-world impact. His focus remains on maximizing the utility of AI, using it as a tool to drive change within Claritev.
VP of AI at ADP (Oct 2024 – Feb 2025) Before his current position, Fernando held the role of Vice President of AI at ADP, where he led the AI Office within the company. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing a global team of AI/DS/ML engineers, growing the team from just 3 to nearly 70 professionals across the US, Spain, Brazil, and India. Under his leadership, the team focused on the deployment of AI-native infrastructure, including managed services, data products, and AI adoption across the enterprise. One of his key achievements at ADP was the launch of a Generative AI product, which successfully served over 900,000 clients, significantly decreasing call center volumes by double-digit percentages since its launch in December 2023. Fernando’s leadership was pivotal in scaling ADP’s AI infrastructure and driving large-scale innovation within the company.
VP of Data Science & ML Engineering at ADP (Dec 2021 – Oct 2024) Fernando’s role as VP of Data Science & ML Engineering saw him at the helm of ADP’s Core AI Team, overseeing the build and expansion of ADP’s OneAI platform and the AI Center of Excellence. He led a global team of applied data scientists and machine learning engineers, expanding ADP’s AI capabilities and infrastructure. His team was responsible for deploying machine learning operations (MLOps) platforms and driving AI-driven product initiatives that span various industries, including HR tech and enterprise-level solutions. Fernando also played a key role in the company’s data science leadership, overseeing product development and enhancing ADP’s position as an AI-driven company.
AVP Global Head of Data Science, Human Health at Merck (Jul 2020 – Nov 2021) Fernando’s tenure at Merck saw him spearheading innovation within the healthcare sector, specifically focusing on data-driven decision-making and building AI solutions for commercial capabilities. His leadership was integral to the development of a diverse, cross-functional team, and he played a critical role in scaling AI/ML applications in healthcare. He built and deployed scalable AI products for global markets, with a focus on oncology and global analytics. Fernando’s work led to the creation of a next-generation New Biologic Engine (NBE) for oncology, which was deployed rapidly across multiple international markets. His dedication to advancing AI in the healthcare industry garnered him recognition and accolades, including his involvement in thought leadership around the ethics and fairness of AI/ML.
VP Data Science – Head of AI at CitiusTech (Oct 2018 – Jul 2020) At CitiusTech, a leading healthcare technology company, Fernando led the Data Science and Consulting Proficiency, overseeing a team of over 250 professionals, including 60+ data scientists. His responsibility encompassed the vision, strategy, and deployment of AI/ML solutions within the healthcare sector, working with major clients like Mayo Clinic, DaVita, and Optima Health. Fernando’s efforts helped scale CitiusTech’s data science capabilities, tripling revenue and growing the data science team by 300%. He was pivotal in developing the company’s AI/ML portfolio, contributing to its strategic partnership with several high-profile healthcare organizations.
Chief Data Scientist & Head of AI at Prognos Health (Dec 2016 – Oct 2018) As the Chief Data Scientist at Prognos, Fernando led the development of AI solutions built on the company’s vast clinical lab dataset, which contained over 18 billion records from 200 million+ patients across the US. He set the AI vision for the company, establishing a robust team of data scientists to commercialize AI products aimed at disrupting healthcare. Fernando’s work at Prognos led to the company’s recognition as one of the top startups in healthcare AI by Business Insider and their invitation to speak at JupyterCon in 2018.
Fernando is an advocate for the potential of Generative AI and its transformative impact across industries. He firmly believes that Generative AI is not just a tool for automating processes but a powerful catalyst for innovation. In his perspective, it’s about enabling machines to create, innovate, and offer solutions that were previously unimaginable. He sees Generative AI as a game-changer, especially when it comes to solving complex problems across sectors like healthcare, finance, and customer service. For Fernando, the key to unlocking the full potential of Generative AI lies in its ability to augment human intelligence rather than replace it, emphasizing collaboration between humans and AI to achieve groundbreaking results.
Fernando’s diverse skill set includes strategic planning, large language models (LLMs), generative AI, machine learning, data science, and artificial intelligence. He is an expert in strategic partnerships and has a deep understanding of the complexities of scaling AI solutions in a global environment. His extensive experience has made him a leader in AI ethics, bias, and fairness, where he regularly contributes to conversations around responsible AI adoption.
