UnitedHealth hires Optum's John Rex as chief financial officer

John Rex, formerly executive vice president and chief financial officer of Optum, has been appointed CFO of UnitedHealth Group, effective immediately, the insurer has announced.

Tami Reller, currently executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Optum, has been named chief financial officer of Optum, also effective immediately, according to UnitedHealth.

Optum provides information technology-enabled health services to UnitedHealth Group and its benefits services arm, UnitedHealthcare.

[Also: UnitedHealth to leave Obamacare market in California]

The personnel moves represent a further step in the evolution of the company's leadership as it continues to develop and deploy new products, UnitedHealth said.

This year, UnitedHealth announced losses in its exchange product and a decision to exit the market in several states.

Two months ago, UnitedHealth announced the launch of Harken Health, a boutique-style health plan.

[Also: Harvard Pilgrim bullish on exchange business despite high-profile UnitedHealthcare exit]

Rex succeeds David S. Wichmann, who will now devote his full energies to his duties as president of the company, UnitedHealth said. 

"The deep bench of our leadership team has long been a hallmark of UnitedHealth Group," Wichmann said. "John Rex has been an exceptional leader at Optum and a highly valued contributor to the enterprise overall, so our company will be very well served with him in his new role."

Rex has also been named a member of the office of the chief executive.

Rex assumes oversight responsibilities for treasury, mergers and acquisitions, and venture and private equity investment activity, the insurer said. All finance, audit and financial compliance functions report directly to him.

Before joining Optum, Reller had CFO experience within Microsoft and at Great Plains Software.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse