Written by Julie Walker, CEO at Propelus
Our team is pleased to announce that John Barnes, Propelus’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, has been named a Silver Stevie Award winner for Executive of the Year in Healthcare Technology.
As a product-led, values-driven organization, John plays an integral role not only in how we create value for our customers today, but also in how we innovate to drive toward a vision of a better connected healthcare ecosystem. Every solution is designed to simplify. Every partnership is built on trust. And every step we take is about helping our customers grow – with purpose and passion.
The Stevie Awards are the world’s premier business awards, and The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of individuals, teams, and organizations shaping the future of technology across all industry sectors. John’s recognition is deeply reflective of his technical brilliance, his remarkable leadership, his customer obsession, and his commitment to our mission, vision, and values. We’re grateful to honor and celebrate John.
Here are a few elements we were proud to highlight as part of John’s nomination :
John engages meaningfully and mindfully
John sets a new standard for how to lead with empathy, kindness, and humility while challenging his team to think, grow, and expand in all new ways. In the words of one of his next-level leaders:
“He fosters a culture of trust and high performance,” added Dan Proudfoot, Sr. Director of Innovation Operations, who credits John with transforming the Innovations Division into a values-first, product-led team that delivers consistent results.
John demonstrates genuine curiosity when engaging with his team, never purporting to know the ultimate answers but instead challenging his team to think critically to come up with innovation and creative solutions for our customers.
John focuses on innovation and outcomes
John is an extraordinary technology executive whose impact extends far beyond the technical realm. His strategic vision, profound accomplishments in delivering game-changing healthcare products, unwavering commitment to an ironclad security posture, inspiring leadership, and relentless pursuit of innovation make him unequivocally deserving of this award.
His and his team’s accomplishments since his joining Propelus in 2023 are notable and include (but of course are not limited to):
- Launching Propelus Data Solutions, an API-forward solution that’s raising the standard for workforce compliance management across the healthcare ecosystem;
- Architecting and migrating to a modern, scalable environment using AWS serverless technology, improving our platform reliability and ultimately cutting infrastructure costs;
- Championing Ai adoption as a means to accelerate and empower internal teams and to champion our customers with insights critical to their workflows and business outcomes; and,
- Fostering a culture of security excellence, further cementing trust between Propelus and those we serve.
These accomplishments are a reflection of our commitment to doing what is right and good to help our teams and customers be great. John is an invaluable asset to Propelus, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him at the helm of our technology organization.
A note from John:
“I’m truly humbled. Honestly, this isn’t my award—it’s a reflection of the incredible product and technology teams we have. This belongs to every single engineer, analyst and manager, who pours their heart and soul into making healthcare better every day. I’m just privileged to lead them. This means the world to all of us.”
– John Barnes
Thank you, John.
John is actively building a legacy of leadership and impact at Propelus. As we continue to scale and serve the evolving needs of the healthcare ecosystem – modernizing how professionals, employers, regulators, and partners work together – John’s leadership remains a driving force anchored in purpose, powered by innovation, and deeply rooted in service to the people who rely on us every day.
This recognition is more than a milestone. It’s a reflection of the future John is helping build. Thank you, John.