Sarah M. London
Chief Executive Officer
Executive
4 yr
6 reports
Centene Corporation ·CNC
Operations-heavy C-suite with a powerful standalone COO role
Healthcare · Fortune #22 · Divisional structure · 68K employees · St. Louis, MO
View as of:
4
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 10)
3.5
Avg span
moderate
3
Max depth
3 levels
4 yr
Avg tenure
stable vs FY2024
50%
Internal hires
near industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$174.6B
Operating income
$-7623000000
Net income
$-6674000000
Total assets
$76.7B
Shares out
492M
Sourced from Centene Corporation DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-26 ↗ View on SEC
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Centene Corporation organizational chart
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Centene stands out for its unusually centralized operating model, with a powerful COO reporting directly to the CEO. This page maps the executive structure, key leaders, recent changes, and how Centene compares with major health insurance peers.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Latest signal Theodore Pienkos moved into Chief Accounting Officer
Promoted effective March 18, 2026 from Deputy Corporate Controller.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Create a Chief AI Officer role reporting to the CEO to formalize oversight of AI and analytics strategy.
- COO Departs: Succession Gap Model the impact of the COO role becoming vacant, highlighting execution risk.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
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- Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.
The people
Who's running this
5 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Susan R. Smith
Chief Operating Officer
Operations
2 yr
0 reports
Andrew L. Asher
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Finance
4 yr
2 reports
internal
Tanya M. McNally
Chief People Officer
Human Resources
1 yr
0 reports
Christopher A. Koster
Executive Vice President, Secretary & General Counsel
Legal
9 yr
0 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 2 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
Sarah M. London $19.5M
- Base salary
- $1.47M
- Stock awards
- $15.54M
- Non-equity incentive
- $2.11M
- Other
- $386K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Andrew L. Asher $16.1M
- Base salary
- $1.15M
- Stock awards
- $13.36M
- Non-equity incentive
- $1.24M
- Other
- $319K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The skin in the game
Beneficial ownership
Insider stock holdings and the company's ownership requirements for executives and directors. Disclosed in the most recent DEF 14A.
Stock ownership requirements
6×CEO base salary
3×NEO base salary
Stock ownership guidelines disclosed in the 2026 proxy statement.
The businesses
How Centene Corporation divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Finance
3K employees
Chief Financial Officer (Andrew L. Asher)
Oversees financial reporting, capital allocation, accounting, and enterprise financial operations.
Operations
45K employees
Chief Operating Officer (Susan R. Smith)
Manages health plan operations, service delivery, and execution across Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace.
Human Resources
1K employees
Chief People Officer (Tanya M. McNally)
Leads talent management, compensation, culture, and workforce strategy.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Centene’s most distinctive structural feature is the prominence of its Chief Operating Officer, who directly oversees core execution while reporting straight to the CEO.
Unlike peers that diffuse operations across divisional CEOs, Centene centralizes operational accountability under a single COO. This concentrates execution authority and makes the COO role unusually powerful for a diversified managed-care organization.
The structure reflects Centene’s government-sponsored insurance focus, where operational consistency, compliance, and medical-cost control are critical. Finance and legal remain tightly coupled to the CEO, while people and culture are elevated to the C-suite, signaling ongoing integration and post-divestiture stabilization. The absence of separate segment CEOs in public disclosures reinforces the centralized operating model.
- Strong COO role
- Centralized operations
- Lean C-suite for company scale
The comparison
How Centene Corporation stacks up
Compared with peers like UnitedHealth Group and CVS Health, Centene runs a leaner and more centralized executive structure. UnitedHealth deploys multiple segment CEOs with P&L ownership, while Centene emphasizes functional control through its COO. CVS Health layers pharmacy, retail, and insurance leadership beneath …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Centene Corporation
3 levels
5 levels
6 levels
5 levels
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Centene Corporation ✓ COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most significant recent change was the March 2026 finance reorganization elevating Theodore Pienkos to Chief Accounting Officer.
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-26
- CEO
- Sarah M. London
- CEO span
- 4
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 4.2 yr
Stable executive team following multiple divestitures.
Named executive officers (5)
- Sarah M. London - CEO since 2022
- Andrew L. Asher - CFO since 2022
- Christopher A. Koster - General Counsel since 2016
- Tanya M. McNally - Chief People Officer since 2024
- Susan R. Smith - Chief Operating Officer since 2023
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-03-27
- CEO
- Sarah M. London
- CEO span
- 3
- C-suite
- 4
- Avg tenure
- 3.8 yr
COO role newly established as execution focus increased.
Named executive officers (4)
- Sarah M. London - CEO since 2022
- Andrew L. Asher - CFO since 2022
- Christopher A. Koster - General Counsel since 2016
- Susan R. Smith - Chief Operating Officer since 2023
FY2023
DEF 14A filed 2024-03-28
- CEO
- Sarah M. London
- CEO span
- 2
- C-suite
- 3
- Avg tenure
- 3 yr
Lean C-suite prior to operational expansion.
Named executive officers (3)
- Sarah M. London - CEO since 2022
- Andrew L. Asher - CFO since 2022
- Christopher A. Koster - General Counsel since 2016
Year-over-year changes
Centene expanded its C-suite with the addition of a Chief People Officer.
- CEO span: 3 → 4
- C-suite size: 4 → 5
- Avg tenure: 3.8 → 4.2 yr
- new Tanya M. McNally - Chief People Officer (DEF 14A, 2026-03-26)
The COO role was introduced to strengthen operational execution.
- CEO span: 2 → 3
- C-suite size: 3 → 4
- Avg tenure: 3 → 3.8 yr
- new Susan R. Smith - Chief Operating Officer (DEF 14A, 2025-03-27)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Centene Corporation?
Sarah M. London has served as Centene’s Chief Executive Officer since 2022.
What type of organizational structure does Centene Corporation use?
Centene uses a divisional structure with centralized operational control.
How many direct reports does Centene Corporation's CEO have?
The CEO has four direct reports according to current public disclosures.
How has Centene Corporation's leadership changed recently?
In March 2026, Centene promoted Theodore Pienkos to Chief Accounting Officer and reorganized finance leadership.
Does Centene Corporation have a COO?
Yes. Susan R. Smith serves as Chief Operating Officer and plays a central role in company execution.
Sources
- 8-K Filing, Mar 2026
- 8-K Filing, Aug 2025
- SEC EDGAR: Centene Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Centene Corporation 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.
APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Centene Corporation organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/centene/MLA 9th
"Centene Corporation Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/centene/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Centene Corporation Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/centene/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Centene Corporation. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-26. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1071739/000107173926000077/cnc-20260326.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/centene/ · last updated 2026-04-01