Brian Thompson—the 50-year-old CEO of the health insurance division of the $550 billion UnitedHealth Group—was killed Wednesday in what police believe was a targeted shooting in Manhattan ahead of an investor meeting.
Key Facts
- Thompson, who worked for UnitedHealth for almost two decades before he was promoted to CEO of insurance unit UnitedHealthcare in 2021, was shot just before 7 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where the meeting was set to take place.
- UnitedHealth Group on Wednesday said it was “deeply saddened and shocked” by the death of Thompson, and remembered him as a “highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him.”
- Thompson joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and was CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s government programs—including Medicare—before becoming CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer.
- Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, is a certified public accountant and worked for six years at accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) before joining United as director of corporate development, according to LinkedIn.
- Thompson has two sons, one who recently graduated from and another who attends a public high school in Plymouth, Minnesota, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.
- One of the older son’s former coaches, Brandon Carlson, told the Tribune his parents “were present around all of the team events” and Thompson’s sister, Elena Reveiz, told The New York Times he was a “good person.”
- Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, where UnitedHealth Group is based and where Thompson lived and worked, called the killing “horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota” and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said the shooting was a “horrifying and shocking act of violence.”
- John Penshorn, a former UnitedHealth Group executive who worked with Thompson for more than a decade, told the Minnesota Star Tribune Thompson was “humble, a servant-leader and family man” and Steve Parente, a health economist at the University of Minnesota who worked with Thompson, called him an “incredible guy.”
Key Background
Thompson was shot in the chest and was rushed to Mount Sinai West in critical condition, multiple outlets reported. Police said the gunman was reportedly waiting outside of the hotel before Thompson arrived, leading authorities to determine the attack was targeted. New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters the shooting “does not appear to be a random act of violence.” The shooting suspect was described as a white man wearing a cream-colored coat and wearing black and white sneakers, with a gray backpack and a black face mask. Police have released photos of the man and are offering up to $10,000 to anyone with information.
Tangent
UnitedHealth Group was ranked 19th on Forbes’ list of the world’s biggest companies in 2024. The company has a market valuation of over $560 billion and reported $6 billion in third quarter net income. The number of people served by UnitedHealthcare commercial health insurance, the division Thompson oversaw, grew by 2.4 million in the first three quarters of the year, the company said. UnitedHealth Group is ranked No. 192 on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Companies and No. 272 on the list of America’s Dream Employers.
Crucial Quote
“A lot of insurance companies were really rocked by the pandemic, but I’d say United Healthcare, the insurance side, has been kind of steady-as-you-go and well managed,” Bruce Japsen, a healthcare business expert and Forbes senior contributor, said Wednesday.
This story was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
