13 things about Ames, Iowa native Brian Thompson

Brian Robert “B.T.” Thompson was an American certified public accountant and businessman who served as the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare (UHC), an insurance and managed care company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, United States. He was fatally shot in Midtown Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA on December 4, 2024 allegedly by Luigi Mangione.

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Ames, Iowa, USA to Dennis Thompson and Pat Hunter Thompson, B.T. lived in Maple Grove, Minnesota with Paulette “Pauley” Reveiz Thompson. B.T. and Pauley have two sons who attended Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota.

B.T. attended South Hamilton High School in Jewell Junction, Iowa and the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In 1993, he graduated from South Hamilton High School as the class valedictorian.
2. In 1997, he graduated with special honors and highest distinction from the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an accounting major.
3. From October 1997 to April 2004, Thompson worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota as a manager in the transaction advisory services group of the audit practice.
4. From 2004 to January 2008, he was the corporate development director of UnitedHealth Group, a company that sells insurance products under UHC and health care services under the Optum brand.
5. In 2005, Pauley gave birth to their first son.
6. In 2008, Pauley gave birth to their second son.
7. From January 2008 to May 2010, he was the UnitedHealth Group vice president and financial controller.
8. From May 2010 to May 2011, he was the UnitedHealth Group chief financial officer.
9. From May 2011 to December 2013, he was the chief financial officer of UHC’s employer and individual business.
10. From December 2013 to April 2017, he was the CFO for UHC’s Medicare and retirement business.
11. From April 2017 to April 2021, he was the CEO of UHC’s Medicare and retirement business.
12. In 2018, he bought a second house in Maple Grove for $1 million close to where Pauley and their two sons were living. 
13. In 2022, he earned $2.84 million in total cash, $7 million in equity and $19,184 in pension and other forms of compensation.

TIMELINE

Under B.T.’s leadership, UHC’s profits increased from $12 billion in 2021 to $16 billion in 2023. The company was the largest health insurer in the U.S. at the time of his death.

2021

• In April 2021, he became the UHC CEO.

2022

• Under his leadership, UHC’s Surest company offered in August 2022 a new approach to health benefits that would remove deductibles and provide clear upfront pricing information to people in advance of treatment.

2023

• As early as October 2023, he became aware of a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust investigation into UHC.

2024

• In May 2024, Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund filed a lawsuit against him and his fellow UHC executives Andrew Witty and Stephen Hemsley, accusing them of scheming to inflate UHC’s stock by failing to disclose a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust investigation into the company.
• On July 10, 2024, he turned 50.
• On December 2, 2024, he went to New York City to attend a UHC investors conference.
• At around 6:40 a.m. on December 4, 2024, he walking alone to the investor conference in Manhattan without a security detail and was fatally shot by a masked gunman who approached him from behind.
• On December 9, 2024, Mangione was arrested for his murder.