UnitedHealthcare names a new CEO after Brian Thompson’s fatal shooting

• UnitedHealthcare named Tim Noel as its CEO, seven weeks after Brian Thompson’s fatal shooting.
• Noel joined the company in 2007 and was most recently the head of its Medicare and retirement unit.
• Official employee pages and social media for Noel appear to have been taken down.

UnitedHealthcare named company veteran Tim Noel as its CEO, seven weeks after former CEO Brian Thompson was killed in New York.

Noel joined the company in 2007 and was most recently the head of its Medicare and retirement unit, per a Thursday announcement.

UnitedHealthcare is the largest health insurer in the US and provides services to over 50 million Americans, the company said. The Medicare and retirement arm contributed nearly half of the company’s $74.1 billion in revenue for the three months ending in December.

Noel “brings unparalleled experience to this role with a proven track record and strong commitment to improving how health care works for consumers, physicians, employers, governments and our other partners,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.

A spokesperson declined further comment.

The company’s shares rose nearly 2% on Thursday.

Noel replaces Thompson, who was shot and killed outside a hotel in central Manhattan on December 4. A five-day manhunt led to the arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania after a worker called police.

Mangione pleaded not guilty to New York state murder and terrorism charges and to federal stalking and murder charges.

Prosecutors said two shell casings for the bullets that killed Thompson had the words “DENY” and “DEPOSE” written on them. The word “DELAY” was written on a bullet found at the crime scene.

The killing ignited a national debate about the state of the US healthcare and health insurance system and led to a flood of pro-Mangione content on social media platforms.

Since the shooting, healthcare companies including UnitedHealthcare have taken down web pages that share details about their leadership. Two days after the shooting, UnitedHealthcare’s “Our leadership” page was no longer accessible.

Noel’s LinkedIn and Facebook pages also appear to have been taken down.