High-Flying Leadership at Gainwell Technologies

Oscar Montes knows a thing or two about employing a wide perspective. The former naval officer and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter pilot is used to seeing the world from an elevated vantage point—which is no doubt why he’s transitioned from the CEO chair at a $300 million organization to a role in which he can drive growth at Gainwell Technologies, whose revenues have surpassed $2 billion. This role is a good fit for Montes: he has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to see things differently, to drive innovation, and to succeed in the incredibly competitive world of government contracting and healthcare.

In his new role as chief growth officer (CGO), Montes is tasked with developing and implementing Gainwell’s growth strategy, as well as driving business development, sales, and marketing efforts. If there’s any question about his ability to deliver on any of these fronts, a quick check of his references would put paid to those doubts.

Montes amassed a whole host of career accolades in his previous position as CEO of Magellan Federal, a behavioral and specialty healthcare firm that serves members of the military, federal civilian employees, and their families. That list of achievements includes a nomination to (and recognition as a finalist for) WashingtonExec’s 2022 Chief Officer Awards.

“There are several key contract wins that the team worked exceptionally hard to secure,” Montes told WashingtonExec. “One was the Military and Family Life Counseling East contract, with an estimated value of $2 billion over five years. Additionally, we won the Navy, Air Force, and Defense Department civilian Employee Assistance Program contracts, solidifying our position as a leading provider of federal behavioral health services.”

Montes also succeeded in enhancing the leadership team at Magellan Federal, which took on three new business unit leaders, a new chief information officer, and a new strategy growth chief during his tenure. Overall, Montes led a team of over 2,500 employees.

At Gainwell Technologies, the new CGO aims to grow the company’s footprint in both the Medicare and Medicaid spaces. As the post-pandemic environment continues to evolve, Montes understands the ever-changing health market environment will continue to challenge even the best-laid plans. But there have already been some early wins.

In June 2022, Gainwell announced that its HMS technology company had been selected to provide Medicaid Third Party Liability services solutions to state-level Medicaid agencies via the National Association of State Procurement Officials Valuepoint TPL Services contract.

“For decades, HMS has been a leader in providing cost containment solutions to state Medicaid agencies,” said Gainwell’s president and CEO, Paul Saleh, in an announcement. “This contract win further validates the long-standing quality, effectiveness, and innovation of our TPL solutions—and they are invaluable in continuing to keep our nation’s healthcare programs protected and strong.”

The addition of Montes enhances the already award-winning leadership team at Gainwell. The company landed on Comparably’s fifth annual list of Best Leadership Teams, which was calculated based on millions of anonymous employee ratings of executive leadership teams and direct managers on Comparably.com over a year’s time.

While awards help, Montes’s corporate achievements are just another extension of who he is as a leader—a leader who has proven himself time and time again on behalf of his country. The officer and pilot has logged over two thousand flight hours and four hundred carrier landings, including combat operations in Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 (where he flew over two hundred hours of combat). A corporate leadership team may have its fair share of challenges, but it’s safe to say that Montes’s experiences—including acting as a strike fighter tactics officer for an aircraft carrier of over fifty fighters—have taught him how to strategize quickly.

Currently, Montes supports the Armed Services Arts Partnership, an organization that seeks to cultivate communities in which military veterans and their families can flourish in the arts. Along with that nonprofit work, Montes also serves on the board of Making Homes Possible, an organization dedicated to providing affordable homes for families.