Health Insurer Centene’s Chief Financial Officer To Step Down
Health insurer Centene announced Chris Neczypor will become its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer on January 1, 2027. He joins in September to work alongside current CFO Drew Asher, who will step down in December and retire at the end of 2027. Neczypor, previously CFO for Lincoln Financial, brings extensive experience in corporate finance and strategy. This leadership change comes as Centene navigates a turbulent health insurance landscape, marked by rising medical costs for its millions of government-subsidized members. Despite these challenges, Centene recently reported over $1 billion in profit, demonstrating improved cost control. CEO Sarah London praised Neczypor's proven track record in strengthening financial performance and driving shareholder value, anticipating his expertise will guide Centene's next phase of transformation and growth. Asher is credited with overseeing significant revenue expansion from $126 billion to $195 billion.
Health insurer Centene, one of the nation’s largest providers of Obamacare, said chief financial officer Drew Asher plans to step down from his role as chief financial officer in December of this year.
The 58-year-old Asher, who Centene said Monday will retire from the company at the end of 2027, will be replaced by Chris Neczypor, who is 45 years old and new to the company and will join Centene in September “and work alongside Mr. Asher, assuming the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer role on January 1, 2027,” Centene said. “Mr. Asher will remain with the company until his retirement to support a variety of strategic initiatives and ensure a smooth transition.”
The planned succession comes during a period of turbulence in the health insurance industry, particularly for companies like Centene that provide government-subsidized coverage to millions of Americans. In addition to providing 3.5 million people individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, Centene also helps several states administer Medicaid coverage for low-income Americans.
Like other health insurers, Centene has been battling the rising medical expenses of its health plan members but the company’s most recent quarter showed a profit of more than $1 billion and evidence the insurer is getting a better handle on rising costs of people in its commercial and government-subsidized health plans.
In a statement released Monday, Centene credited Asher, who became CFO in 2021, with guiding the company “through a period of significant growth and change,” Centene said. “The company expanded from approximately $126 billion in revenue in 2021 to approximately $195 billion in 2025, reflecting the company's significant increase in scale during a period of transformation across the healthcare industry.”
In Neczypor, Centene said the company is getting “a seasoned executive with deep experience across corporate finance, strategy, transformation and capital management,” Centene said in a statement. “Prior to joining Centene, Mr. Neczypor served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Lincoln Financial, a leading provider of life insurance, annuities, group benefits and retirement solutions.”
Centene Chief Executive Officer Sarah M. London said Neczypor “brings a proven track record of strengthening financial performance, optimizing operations and creating long-term shareholder value.”
“Just as importantly, he is a collaborative, values-driven leader who understands how to build strong teams and drive meaningful impact,” London added. "Our organization will benefit from his expertise, energy and perspective as we deliver on Centene's next phase of transformation and growth."