ROCHESTER — The man who has led Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and its parent company, the Lifetime Healthcare Companies Inc. since 2013 is preparing to retire. The health insurer on June 25 announced that president and CEO Christopher Booth will retire on May 1, 2021. The company’s board of directors has also voted to name James […]
ROCHESTER — The man who has led Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and its parent company, the Lifetime Healthcare Companies Inc. since 2013 is preparing to retire.
The health insurer on June 25 announced that president and CEO Christopher Booth will retire on May 1, 2021.
The company’s board of directors has also voted to name James Reed president and CEO-elect as of July 1, 2020.
The announcement is part of a planned succession for executive leadership of the $6 billion nonprofit health plan, Excellus said in a release.
Rochester–based Excellus BCBS, which operates an office in DeWitt, is Central New York’s largest health insurer.
Reed joined Excellus in January 1996. Most recently, he served as executive VP of marketing and sales, and as regional president in the Central New York market.
His responsibilities have included line-of-business oversight and all marketing and sales functions for the commercial-group markets, retail markets, Univera Healthcare, and Lifetime Benefit Solutions. He also has oversight of the Health Care and Network Management division
In speaking about Reed, Marianne Gaige, chairwoman of the Lifetime Healthcare Companies board of directors, said he brings more than two decades of “successful leadership” within the organization to his new role and has been “instrumental” in helping shape the future of the company in today’s “fast-changing and dynamic” health-insurance industry.
“Success starts with having the right people in the right roles. Jim is strategic in his approach, has a strong sense of mission and brings a wide array of experience to the job,” said Gaige.
“Our focus remains on our organization’s primary mission of providing access to affordable, high-quality health care to as many people as possible,” Reed said. “As a locally based health plan, we have strong partnerships with those who provide care and those who pay for it and we want to build on that going forward.”
Besides the top leadership transition, the board also approved the promotion of Barry Thornton from executive VP to COO. It is also promoting Melissa Gardner from senior VP to executive VP of strategic business programs.
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