Monte Ford
CENTENEAbout Monte E. Ford
Monte E. Ford (age 65) has served as an independent director of Centene since November 2022. He is a career technology and operations executive, including CIO roles at American Airlines and senior posts across financial services and software, and holds a B.S. from Northeastern University . He currently sits on Centene’s Compensation & Talent Committee and Quality Committee and is designated independent under NYSE standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIO Strategy Exchange (CIOSE) | Principal Partner | 2015–present | Cross-industry CIO consortium leadership |
| Aptean Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | 2012–2013 | Led tech company operations and M&A execution |
| American Airlines, Inc. | Chief Information Officer | 2000–2012 | Enterprise IT, cybersecurity, large-scale change programs |
| Associates First Capital | President, Associates Services Corp.; CIO | 1994–2000 | M&A integration leader; enterprise IT |
| Bank of Boston | Senior Vice President | 1990–1994 | Senior technology/operations leadership |
| Digital Equipment Corp. | Senior sales/marketing/technology roles | 1982–1990 | Technology and commercial leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| JetBlue Airways Corporation | Director | Public | Current public company directorship |
| Iron Mountain Inc. | Director | Public | Current public company directorship; also serves with Centene director Theodore R. Samuels on Iron Mountain’s board (interlock) |
| Akamai Technologies, Inc. | Director | Public | Current public company directorship |
| Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) | Director (prior) | Private/Mutual | Prior directorship |
| MoneyGram International, Inc. | Director (prior) | Public (prior) | Prior directorship |
| Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC | Director (prior) | Utility | Prior directorship; sustainability oversight experience |
| Meta Group; Michael’s Stores | Director (prior) | Public (prior) | Prior directorships |
| Baylor Grapevine Hospital; Children’s Hospital Dallas | Director (prior) | Non-profit | Healthcare governance roles |
Board Governance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Independent director (Board determined; all nominees independent except CEO London and director Burdick) |
| Committees | Compensation & Talent Committee (member); Quality Committee (member) |
| Committee focuses | CTC: executive pay, human capital, stock ownership guidelines, clawbacks, director pay ; Quality: quality improvement, member/provider experience, data & technology strategy oversight |
| 2024 meeting cadence | Board (10); Audit (9); Compensation & Talent (7); Governance (7); Quality (4) |
| Attendance | Each director attended ≥75% of applicable meetings; average attendance 96% in 2024; all directors attended 2024 annual meeting |
| Board leadership | Independent, non-executive Chair; independent committee structures; regular executive sessions |
Fixed Compensation (Director Pay Program; 2024)
| Component | 2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee director) | $100,000 | Directors may elect to defer/convert into RSUs |
| Committee chair retainers | Audit Chair $30,000; Compensation Chair $20,000; Governance Chair $20,000; Quality Chair $20,000 | Ford is not a chair |
| Independent Chair retainer | $90,000 cash + $150,000 RSUs | Applies to Board Chair, not Ford |
| Meeting fees | None disclosed | Program uses retainers (no per-meeting fees) |
| Ford’s 2024 cash “Fees Earned” | $100,000 |
Additional program features:
- Directors may receive cash retainers in deferred stock units; valuation method changed in 2024 to prior-day close for RSUs .
- Company matches up to $25,000 of director charitable giving annually .
Performance Compensation (Director Equity)
| Equity Element | Grant/Value | Vesting/Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant (standard) | 2,916 RSUs; grant value approx. $224,969 for 2024 | Vest on earlier of May 14, 2025 or 2025 annual meeting |
| Ford’s 2024 “Stock Awards” value | $224,969 | Time-based RSUs; no performance metrics disclosed for directors |
Directors receive time-vested RSUs; no performance-conditioned metrics are used for non-employee director equity awards .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Director | External public boards | Notable interlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Monte E. Ford | JetBlue Airways; Iron Mountain; Akamai Technologies | Serves on Iron Mountain alongside Centene director Theodore R. Samuels (external interlock) |
- Board service limits: Centene policy limits directors to no more than three other public company boards; Ford’s three external public boards place him at the policy cap (time-commitment risk if additional roles were sought) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology and cybersecurity: Former Fortune 100 CIO with deep experience in enterprise change, IT security, and data privacy; aligns directly with Quality Committee oversight of data/technology strategy .
- M&A integration and transformation: Led integration at American Airlines and other firms; CEO experience at a software company .
- Healthcare governance exposure: Prior director at HCSC and hospital boards (Baylor Grapevine, Children’s Hospital Dallas) .
Equity Ownership
Beneficial ownership (as of March 14, 2025)
| Metric | Shares |
|---|---|
| Outstanding shares owned | 4,340 |
| Shares acquirable within 60 days | 9,582 |
| Total beneficial ownership | 13,922; less than 1% of class |
Equity awards status (as of December 31, 2024)
| Instrument | Count |
|---|---|
| Stock options – exercisable | 6,666 |
| Stock options – unexercisable | 3,334 |
| Unvested RSUs (2024 annual grant) | 2,916 |
Ownership alignment policies
- Director stock ownership guideline: 7.5× annual cash retainer within five years; as of Dec 31, 2024, all directors were in compliance .
- Hedging/pledging prohibited for directors and executives .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths:
- Independent director with strong technology, cybersecurity, and large-scale transformation background—directly relevant to Centene’s data/technology and quality agenda overseen by the Quality Committee .
- Active member of the Compensation & Talent Committee responsible for stock ownership guidelines and clawbacks; company discloses robust compensation best practices (no hedging/pledging, no tax gross-ups, no option repricing) .
- Attendance: Board reports each director met ≥75% attendance with 96% average in 2024; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting—supporting engagement baseline .
- Pay mix: Majority of director pay delivered in equity (time-vested RSUs), aligning with shareholders; Ford’s 2024 package: $100,000 cash, $224,969 equity, $25,000 charitable match .
-
Watch items:
- External board load: Ford serves on three other public boards—at Centene’s policy cap—raising incremental time-commitment sensitivity in event of unforeseen issues across issuers .
- Interlock: Overlap with fellow Centene director Theodore R. Samuels on Iron Mountain’s board could concentrate networks; no related-party concerns disclosed, but worth monitoring for groupthink/perception risk .
- Related parties: Centene’s related-party review disclosed no Item 404 transactions involving Ford; Compensation & Talent Committee interlocks/insider participation disclosure found no relationships requiring disclosure among CTC members in 2024 .
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Overall: Credentials and committee assignments suggest positive board effectiveness in technology/data governance and human capital oversight, with alignment to shareholder interests through equity-heavy director compensation and compliance with ownership guidelines; monitor external directorship cap and interlocks for any future perception or time-allocation issues .
