Leadership

With more than 30 years of healthcare and public policy experience, Brent Layton serves as chief executive officer of Atlanta-based digital health company Sharecare, where he has served on the board of directors since January 2023. Formerly president and chief operating officer of Centene Corporation, a Fortune 25 company, Brent brings to Sharecare unique expertise in building, scaling, and operating businesses focused on government-funded programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Health Insurance Marketplace.  

During his more than two decades at Centene, Brent served in many roles and capacities. As president and COO, he oversaw the company’s healthcare offerings, including 31 state Medicaid health plans; Ambetter, the nation’s largest health insurance exchange provider; and WellCare, the nation’s sixth largest Medicare Advantage company. Previously, Brent spent more than 15 years as Centene’s chief business development officer and executive vice president of markets, products, international, through which he was not only responsible for domestic growth but also oversaw the largest managed care providers in both the U.K. (Circle) and Spain (Ribera Salud) as well as operations in the Middle East. During his time in this role, Centene scaled from three to 31 health plans in the U.S., becoming the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care company.

Brent announced his retirement from Centene in late 2022 and stayed with the company as senior advisor to the CEO until assuming his role at Sharecare. During his tenure at Centene, the company grew annual revenues from roughly $300 million to $144 billion.  

Prior to joining Centene, Brent ran a managed care consulting firm and created and managed various healthcare companies, including vision and dental provider Avesis and Absolute Care Medical Centers.

Brent serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for Homeward, a public benefit corporation committed to rearchitecting the delivery of health and care in partnership with communities everywhere, starting in rural America. He also sits on the Board of non-profit City of Refuge, whose mission is to transform the lives of individuals and communities in Atlanta and beyond by helping to break the cycle of poverty through services in health and wellness, housing, human trafficking intervention, vocational training, and youth development.

A native of Cartersville, Georgia, Brent earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He resides and works in Atlanta with his wife of more than 30 years, Kelly, with whom he has two adult sons, Davis and Luke.