Diabetes Reversal Leader Virta Health Deepens Executive Bench Amid Triple-Digit Year-Over-Year Growth

Industry veteran Manu Diwakar joins as Chief Financial Officer, and longtime Virta leader Lucia Guillory is promoted to Chief People Officer

DENVER (December 13, 2022)—Virta Health, the leader in type 2 diabetes reversal, is expanding its C-suite as the company scales to meet heightened demand for its chronic disease reversal solutions. 

With nearly two decades of industry experience, Manu Diwakar joins as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Before Virta, Diwakar served as CFO at virtual musculoskeletal treatment company Kaia Health. Diwakar has also held top leadership roles at Ceres Imaging, Victorious (acquired by Headspace), and Riot Games (acquired by Tencent), where he helped Riot scale from 150 to 2000 employees while growing revenue from <$50 million to more than $1 billion per year.

Lucia Guillory, who joined as Virta’s Head of People and Places in 2019, has been named Chief People Officer. During her tenure, Guillory scaled hiring to support increasing demand—nearly tripling headcount in the last three years—while building a strong internal culture, earning accolades such as Inc.’s Best Places to Work and Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Health Care. 

Both appointments support Virta’s continuing growth alongside a broader, industry-wide shift toward chronic disease reversal. Amid a perfect storm of skyrocketing drug prices, employee health costs, and rates of metabolic disease, patients and payers alike are turning to Virta as the antidote.

Over the past 12 months, key milestones include:

• Triple-digit year-over-year customer growth: Virta now partners with more than 350 large employers, health plans, and government organizations, including Humana, Banner|Aetna, U-Haul, and AutoZone.  
• Doubling patient enrollment: Industry-leading patient outcomes—from long-term blood sugar control to clinically significant weight loss to medication reduction and elimination—have continued to drive strong demand for Virta’s care model and approach.
• New research: Virta added four peer-reviewed papers in 2022, in part highlighting improvement in both depression symptoms and knee pain for patients. The company also reported 5-year clinical trial results at the ADA’s 82nd Scientific Sessions in June, and recently shared health equity research on the impact of its treatment across diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. 
• Outcomes and cost savings validation: Virta received Validation Institute’s Program Validation, recognizing its best-in-class health and financial outcomes for employer customers, including industry-leading prescription drug savings.
• Launched Road to Reversal movement: Patients across the country are sharing how diabetes reversal transformed their health. Just a few examples include Brandon, who eliminated all medications— including his antidepressants, Michael, who lost over 200 pounds, and Elissa, who can run around with her children again. For these patients, reversal means turning back the clock on diabetes and getting their lives back. 

“Virta’s solution is unique because it works—and it works without caveats,” said Manu Diwakar, Virta’s CFO. “There is no opportunity to make a bigger impact in U.S. healthcare than in scaling this solution so we can reach even more patients and payers.” 

Guillory echoed this sentiment:

“I have a personal connection to diabetes, and have seen what this disease can do to people and their families on a daily basis. I want to see this disease eradicated—and Virta is showing this could be possible. We're helping people get their lives back."