UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was shot and killed Wednesday morning in New York City, was set to address his company's annual investor meeting later that day.
Thompson, 50, was attacked by a gunman outside the Hilton New York Midtown hotel, where the company was holding its investors' conference.
UnitedHealthcare is the insurance arm of the health care giant UnitedHealth Group Inc.
The investor day was canceled after reports of the shooting, CNBC reports.
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“I’m afraid that we – some of you may know we’re dealing with very serious medical situation with one of our team members,” UnitedHealth Group staff said during the investor day, according to a transcript obtained by CNBC. “And as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today, which I’m sure you’ll understand.”
An announcement was made to attendees Wednesday morning that the conference was being ended early.
Who was Brian Thompson?
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Thompson has served as CEO for more than three years having been named to the top job in April 2021, according to his official bio.
Thompson had been with UnitedHealthcare since 2004. He held numerous roles with the company including CEO of UnitedHealthcare government programs and CEO of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement.
According to a LinkedIn page appearing to belong to Thompson, before he worked at UnitedHealthcare, he worked at PwC in financial roles.
He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997.
What is UnitedHealthcare?
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the country and also manages health insurance coverage for employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs.
UnitedHealth Group is "the biggest health care conglomerate in the United States based on revenue and its roughly $563 billion market cap," CNBC reports.
UHC is based in Minnesota.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz shared a statement on social media saying, "This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota. Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team."
Thompson lived in Maple Grove, Minnesota, according to CNBC.
