Collective Brains Academy

Vitor Hugo Pinheiro is a seasoned global executive with more than two decades of experience leading large-scale operations, driving transformation, and cultivating high-performance teams across healthcare, technology, and business services. His career reflects a distinctive blend of strategic vision, operational excellence, and a steadfast commitment to purpose-driven leadership.

Currently Global Executive of Risk Adjustment Operations at Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group, Vitor leads an enterprise of over 17,000 professionals spanning the United States, Ireland, Brazil, India, and the Philippines. He has been pivotal in shaping Optum’s global delivery model, most notably by designing and launching a flagship international hub in Ireland that has become a cornerstone for modernization and expansion. He has successfully directed complex post-M&A integrations, aligning diverse operations under a shared culture and strategy, while championing AI and data-driven solutions that have elevated quality, compliance, and efficiency across risk adjustment workflows. Earlier in his career, Vitor held senior leadership roles with Sitel, HTC, and Atento in Latin America, where he oversaw large-scale delivery operations for major global clients in healthcare, technology, and life sciences—including HP, Lenovo, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer. In these roles, he became recognized for stabilizing high-risk operations, modernizing processes, and leading multicultural teams to consistently deliver superior outcomes. His ability to navigate complex regional dynamics while scaling high-performance operations across multiple continents has positioned him as a trusted global leader, deeply attuned to both cultural nuance and enterprise impact. Beyond operational leadership, Vitor’s philosophy blends clarity, compassion, and systems thinking. He is committed to creating organizations where innovation and inclusion thrive together, and where success is measured not only in financial results but also in cultural resilience and long-term impact. He integrates structured leadership frameworks into his mentoring approach—supporting reflection, clarity, and adaptive decision-making across high-stakes contexts. Vitor’s leadership development has been shaped by experiences across five continents—and most recently, through structured reflection and systems thinking at Harvard Business School, where he is now part of its global alumni network.

As a mentor, Vitor brings empathy, strategic insight, and a wealth of global experience. His mentoring style is grounded in quiet leadership, purpose alignment, and helping others define success on their own terms—not just by metrics or job titles. He is passionate about guiding emerging leaders through complexity, fostering psychological safety, and unlocking their capacity to lead with integrity and confidence. Whether advising on scaling global teams, adopting transformative technologies, or navigating leadership transitions, Vitor is dedicated to empowering others to achieve meaningful, sustainable change.