Centene Corp. announced Thursday that Michael Neidorff — the company’s chairman and CEO — is taking a medical leave of absence to deal with a medical condition.
The Clayton, Missouri-based health insurer said James Dallas will become the acting chairman of the board.
The company will use an Office of the Chairman to handle day-to-day company management.
The office will include four people: Sarah London, the vice chairman; Brent Layton, the president and chief operating officer; Drew Asher, the chief financial officer; and Shannon Bagley, the chief administrative officer.
Neidorff had already announced plans to retire from the CEO post, and the board had been conducting a search for a new CEO.
Centene did not identify Neidorff’s condition, but Neidorff said in a comment included in the announcement that the condition can be treated.
Neidorff started at Centene in 1996, when it was a relatively small company. He oversaw organic growth and a series of acquisitions. The company now has annual revenue of about $125 billion. It has large Medicaid plan, Medicare plan and commercial health insurance operations, and it recently acquired Magellan, a large behavioral health management company.
..
Michael Neidorff (Photo: Scott Eells/Bloomberg)