UnitedHealth Optum CFO Replacement Signals Major Leadership Shakeup

UnitedHealth Group's Optum division has experienced its second chief financial officer change within six months, with Roger Connor stepping down to return to the UK for family reasons. Ben Eklo, a veteran finance executive with nearly two decades at UnitedHealth, will assume the CFO role starting November 1, overseeing a division responsible for more than $250 billion in annual revenue. This leadership transition follows a series of management shakeups at UnitedHealth amid operational and regulatory challenges, including a cyberattack, rising medical costs, and the abrupt CEO departure of Andrew Witty earlier this year. Optum encompasses the company's pharmacy benefits, provider networks, data and technology units, contributing significantly to UnitedHealth's operating income. Connor will remain with Optum until April to ensure a smooth handover, part of broader executive changes aimed at enhancing performance and restoring investor confidence. These moves occur as UnitedHealth navigates its first earnings miss in over a decade and continues to restructure its leadership team under CEO Stephen Hemsley.