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Centene already had a highly advanced technology organization when the business began its search for a new Chief Information Officer.

Parker Remick founder Kevin Williamson worked closely with Centene CEO Sarah London and Chief People Officer Tanya McNally throughout the search.

Rather than limiting the search to executives already working within healthcare, the team looked more broadly at leaders from other industries who had experience operating in complex, highly regulated organizations.

That approach led to Bradley Bolivar.

Looking beyond the obvious talent pool

Bradley joined Centene from Fannie Mae, bringing experience from another large organization operating within a highly regulated environment.

Although his background was outside healthcare, there were clear parallels with Centene. He had worked at significant scale and had developed a reputation as a technology leader with the ability to use technology to solve complex business problems. That combination was essential.

Centene was looking for someone who could bring a fresh perspective into the organization without losing sight of the realities of operating within a highly regulated business.

As the search progressed, Bradley’s leadership approach also proved to be a strong cultural fit.

Sarah London, CEO of Centene, said:

“Parker Remick understood what we needed in our next Chief Information Officer and delivered. They were a true partner throughout the process, introduced us to exceptional talent, and ultimately brought us a candidate with the extraordinary business, technology, and leadership expertise required to deliver on our mission.”

 

A broader approach to technology leadership

The search reflected something we are seeing more frequently across large organizations. The strongest technology leader for a business does not always come from the same industry.

For Centene, looking outside healthcare opened the search to executives with different experiences while still maintaining the level of scale and complexity the role demanded. It also allowed the business to assess leaders from major technology organizations alongside executives from other highly regulated industries.

For Kevin Williamson, that broader view of the market was an important part of the search.

“Centene understood that the strongest person for this role did not necessarily need to come from another healthcare company. They wanted to look more broadly at leaders who had operated at scale and could bring a different technology perspective into the business.”

The process was also highly collaborative.Direct involvement from Sarah and Tanya gave the Parker Remick team a clear understanding of what Centene needed from the appointment and allowed the search to develop quickly as candidates were assessed.

Kevin added:

“Having Sarah and Tanya so closely engaged throughout the process allowed us to run a genuinely collaborative search and ultimately find someone who was an excellent fit for both the role and Centene’s culture.”

Bradley’s appointment is another example of how widening the technology leadership talent pool can help large organizations find executives with experiences that might otherwise be overlooked.

For Centene, that meant appointing a CIO with the technical background and leadership potential to build on an already strong technology organization while supporting the company’s wider mission.