UnitedHealth Group (UNH) announced on Tuesday that Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is joining its board of directors effective immediately, marking CEO Stephen Hemsley’s latest effort to turn around the managed care giant.
Gottlieb, who headed the FDA from 2017 to 2019, joins UnitedHealth (UNH) at a time when shares of the Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based healthcare giant are underperforming the market with a drop of more than 36% this year.
Hemsley, executive board chairman and a former chief executive, took over the company’s leadership earlier this year following the abrupt departure of former CEO Andrew Witty due to personal reasons.
Since his appointment in May, Hemsley has already made multiple C-suite changes, including the appointment of the company’s new CFO, Wayne DeVeydt, in September.
“Scott has had an exceptional health care career in both the public and private sectors,” Hemsley said.
Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gottlieb stepped down from the FDA to spend more time with his family and joined the boards of Pfizer (PFE) and Illumina (ILMN) in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
“I look forward to working with UnitedHealth Group to help shape how medical breakthroughs are developed and made accessible to patients who may benefit from them,” Gottlieb said.