WellPoint Names Former Coca-Cola Exec CIO

This is Thomas Miller's first appointment in the insurance industry.

WellPoint has named Thomas Miller, the former CIO of Coca-Cola, as its own CIO.

Miller worked for Coca-Cola beginning in 1982, ascending through multiple IT roles before settling in as CIO of not just the corporate entity, but also Coca Cola’s North America Group, where he held responsibility for consumer-facing technologies in the areas of digital marketing, social media and loyalty programs.

“Technology is integral to the way we do business. It shapes the way we interact with our customers, it allows us to analyze big data in ways we never have before, and it provides us the opportunity to create innovative tools that will help our provider partners make the best health care decisions for their patients," said Gloria McCarthy, WellPoint’s chief administrative officer, in a statement. "Tom’s in-depth experience in multiple disciplines, including business operations, and his more than 15 years in information technology leadership will allow WellPoint to harness the technologies that are available today, and plan for the groundbreaking technologies of the future."

In taking on a CIO with such robust consumer-facing technologies, WellPoint may be responding to the dismal reputation of health insurers when it comes to customer experience. Miller replaces Andrew Lang as CIO. Lang is now the CIO of Wolters Kluwer.

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Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio