Healthcare IT firm Cerner has named a new CEO: former Philips North America chief executive Brent Shafer.
Shafer will take over as CEO from Cerner founder Cliff Illig, who has served as interim CEO and chairman since July 2017, when previous Cerner chief executive Neal Patterson died after a battle with cancer. Illig will return to his role as vice chairman of Cerner's board.
Shafer spent 12 years at Philips, helping the company strengthen its focus on healthcare and improve its profitability. He had served as CEO of North America since February 2014, and before that he was CEO of the company's global Philips Home Healthcare Solutions business. He also previously served stints at GE Medical Systems, Hill-Rom, and Hewlett-Packard.