The president and CEO of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has announced plans to retire in May of 2021.
Chris Booth has led the health care organization since January 2013. Officials say his retirement is part of a succession plan that Booth initiated early on in his tenure with Excellus.
Replacing him next year will be James Reed, who has been with Excellus since 1996, most recently as executive vice-president of marketing and sales, and as regional president of the Central New York market.
Booth credited a corporate culture that has helped the company, “navigate successfully through a multi-year transformation of our claims systems, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the launch of innovative partnerships with local health care providers.”
Booth leads Excellus and its parent company, The Lifetime Healthcare Companies, Inc., and the business is a $6 billion organization that finances health care throughout upstate New York.
Under the plan approved Thursday by the Excellus board of directors, Reed will take the CEO role in July, 2020.
