KOP Insiders: Ron Duld, Chief Financial Officer, GeoBlue

KOP Insiders delves into the stories of the people who make King of Prussia one of Pennsylvania’s most dynamic live-work-play-stay destinations.

In depth interviews provide insight into the companies that make up our diverse business community and put a face to the individuals behind the business. In this edition, we are joined by Ron Duld, Chief Financial Officer at GeoBlue.

Tell us a little bit about your background and how it led you to your current role.

I’m the Chief Financial Officer for GeoBlue and have been with the company for about four years. I spent most of my life in Philly and received my undergraduate degree at The Wharton School.

I’ve held various positions in the financial services industry, from public accounting, management consulting, and both finance and operations roles. Eventually, I entered the global health insurance space. My career has taken me around the U.S. for brief periods, but I always kept coming back to the Philadelphia area.

I got my first taste of the global healthcare experience about 15 years ago, which enabled me to start traveling. From there, I developed a real passion for helping people receive high-quality, secure and reliable healthcare. So, when the opportunity at GeoBlue presented itself to me, I jumped at the chance to fulfill my passion. GeoBlue has a very compelling entrepreneurial culture and an exciting story. Our company is very focused on growth, which is exciting, especially given we are supported in part by Blue Cross Blue Shield as a global brand.

Can you give us some insights into GeoBlue and its history and evolution as a company?

Believe it or not, GeoBlue started in the technology space by leveraging technology, specifically the internet and then mobile apps, to help people that were traveling around the world find healthcare options. Our business slowly morphed into providing more comprehensive healthcare services. We recently celebrated our 25^th anniversary, and we continue to proudly provide a full range of healthcare services to individuals, companies and universities.

With GeoBlue’s corporate headquarters being located in King of Prussia, how does this location affect your company culture, employees and growth?

The first word that comes to mind is diversity. First and foremost, the accessibility to such a rich and diverse talent pool across multiple disciplines and professions is important to our business. Supporting a global customer base by taking into account where individuals are from, where they’re going, their experiences, and an appreciation for culture is critical to connecting with and understanding our customers. Our location in KOP enables us to draw from the universities, hospitals, financial services and the broad range of customer-centric businesses in the area.

Also, a clear perk of KOP is location, location, location. Having such close proximity to the I-95 corridor from New York to D.C. provides us with the perfect access for our workforce and our partners that are spread across the U.S., in addition to prospective customers.

For GeoBlue, what’s essential right now, post-pandemic, is having a space and environment where our people want to come to work. When the workday is over, KOP provides a dynamic, flourishing social scene. That’s important to us. We’re working in this new world and constantly adapting to best serve our customers and our people.

How does King of Prussia factor into your recruitment efforts?

The main factor we use to our advantage is King of Prussia’s accessibility. We have employees from the three states around us, and in many cases, employ individuals outside of these states as well. When our employees work from our KOP office, navigating to and around King of Prussia is both easy and accessible. One of the things that we’re committed to that is also important to employees is working for a company that is connected to its community. What’s great about King of Prussia is the spectrum of charitable organizations and opportunities where you can get involved in the community. These opportunities are good for our employees, good for the community and good for the culture of the organization.

What are some of your favorite things to do in the KOP area?

For me, there’s no shortage of good meals in KOP. My family loves iFLY, the indoor skydiving experience, even though I haven’t tried it myself. We are looking forward to taking advantage of Topgolf, which just opened. My team at work loves axe-throwing.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about moving their company to the KOP area?

I would suggest spending some time investigating KOP and consider how the community would affect business. To really support your employees, think of the environment you’ll be creating. It’s the little things that make a huge difference to the overall company experience. I’m referring to things beyond taxes and financials, but the aesthetics and how the community embraces and supports businesses. Amenities are also important, from parks to networking opportunities. King of Prussia is incredibly proactive and involved with business support and strategy in the way they engage businesses in the area. The value of these community factors cannot be underestimated.

The floor is yours. Tell us anything you’d like to share about yourself or GeoBlue.

We’re really passionate about what we do here. To us, our impact is bigger than providing global healthcare, insurance and services. It’s more personal. We believe that we’re helping to make it possible for a college student to study abroad or a retired couple that’s been saving up to go on their dream vacation. We assist in making those things happen by removing the concern for reliable healthcare, allowing our customers to fully enjoy themselves and their experiences abroad.

We’re also growing and really excited about our new opportunities. We are looking for others to come and grow with us.

About GeoBlue

Owned and backed by 15 Blue Cross Blue Shield companies and Bupa, GeoBlue is the trade name for the international health insurance programs of Worldwide Insurance Services, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For 25 years, GeoBlue’s purpose has been to simplify the international healthcare experience for the globally mobile. GeoBlue members have access to one of the largest care networks in the world, coupled with high-tech, high-touch services that enable them to fulfill their international aspirations. Whether it’s executives doing business in Tokyo, students studying in Spain, or tourists traveling the world, the power of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield brand is always within reach.

933 First Avenue
King of Prussia, PA 19406

about.geoblue.com