Centene Promotes Tech And Healthcare Strategist Sarah London To CEO Job – Forbes
Centene elevated to the CEO job Sarah London, the company’s vice chairman who has held technology … [+]
Centene
Centene has promoted Sarah London, the company’s current board vice chair, to the job as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding the retiring Michael Neidorff, the health insurer announced Tuesday afternoon.
In announcing the 41-year-old London’s elevation to Centene’s top job, the company described her as “at the forefront of innovation in healthcare . . . .advancing integrated, value-based care models through the development and application of data-driven insights and technology.”
London, who has been vice chairman of Centene’s board, has led the company’s technology and digital strategy while also running the health insurer’s health care enterprises and specialty divisions, corporate strategy, quality operations, internal audit, compliance and risk management, the company said.
“Since Mr. Neidorff began a medical leave of absence in February 2022, she has been a member of the Office of the Chairman charged with running the day-to-day management of the Company,” the announcement said.
Centene, which sells an array of government subsidized health insurance including Obamacare, has been working for much of this year on a permanent successor to Neidorff, who in December announced his plan to retire later this year.
Neidorff, who is 79 years old and has been Centene’s CEO since 1996, also took on a new role as executive chairman until the end of 2022, the company announced in December. And less than a month ago, Centene said Neidorff was taking a “medical leave of absence” to address what he called a “treatable medical condition,” putting several executives including London to work to fill the void left by Neidorff’s absence in the near term.
“Her strategic thinking, fresh perspective and diverse experience make her the natural leader to harness the potential of Centene,” Centene’s Acting Chairman, James Dallas said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Sarah has infused an innovative mindset across the enterprise in her relentless effort to improve Centene’s capabilities to provide the highest quality of care for our members.”
London takes over a company that is a national player among the biggest names in health insurance, particularly in working with states to manage their Medicaid health insurance for poor Americans and providing individual coverage under the Affordable Care.
Under Neidorff, Centene has grown into a national healthcare giant with revenues that eclipsed $126 billion in 2021 as more Americans sign up for Medicaid, the health insurance for low income patients it manages via contracts with states and individual coverage under the ACA known as Obamacare hits record levels. And Centene has expanded into the business of Medicare Advantage, the privatized health benefits myriad health insurers offer senior via contract with the federal government.
“I am honored and humbled to have been selected as the next CEO of Centene and to work alongside extraordinary colleagues to provide quality healthcare to over 26 million Americans,” London said in a statement.
“The healthcare landscape is rapidly changing, and Centene’s mission – to transform the health of our communities one member at a time – has never been more relevant,” London added. “We have a unique opportunity to empower our members, providers, and their communities in this transformation. Together, we can deliver innovative, integrated, and equitable care that meets our members where they live and exceeds their expectations. I’m excited by the tremendous opportunity to leverage the size and scale of this Company to create true, sustaining value for our members, state partners, employees and shareholders.”
