KC’s Cerner Corp. hires top executive with background in railroads, Tiffany jewelry
Kansas City’s Cerner Corp. has hired Mark Erceg as its new executive vice president and chief financial officer, the company announced Thursday morning.
Erceg, who will begin his new role on Feb. 22, brings decades of executive experience to Cerner. He has previously worked as the CFO of three other publicly traded companies.
Erceg, 51, has been the executive vice president and CFO of Tiffany & Co. since 2016. Before his time at the luxury jewelry maker, he held executive leadership positions at Canadian Pacific Railway and Masonite International Corporation.
He began his career at Procter & Gamble, the maker of numerous consumer brands including Tide, Bounty and Charmin, where he worked in a variety of finance, strategy and operational leadership roles.
“I am pleased to welcome Mark to Cerner’s executive team,” Cerner chairman and CEO Brent Shafer said in a news release. “Mark’s diverse skill set and deep experience in global and operational finance is an excellent fit as Cerner continues to transform and innovate for worldwide providers and health care systems. I am confident Mark will provide strong leadership and be a terrific fit within Cerner.”
Erceg will earn $8.64 million in total annual compensation, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Shafer, Cerner’s chief executive, earned about $12.5 million in total compensation last year, according to an annual report. That figure includes his base salary and stock awards.
Erceg will oversee the company’s global finance organization, which includes treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax and investor relations duties.
“I am thrilled to join Cerner and work towards the company’s mission of transforming health care,” Erceg said in a news release. “Cerner is well-positioned to deliver innovations that can improve patient care, enhance health system operations and eliminate global inequities in care. I look forward to helping drive the next wave of growth and unlocking value for Cerner shareholders.”
Erceg will replace Marc Naughton, Cerner’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. The company announced his departure in October.
Naughton has been with Cerner since 1992. In addition to serving as the CFO, he’s also worked as a tax manager and led Cerner’s mergers and acquisitions.
Cerner’s 2019 annual report showed Naughton earned about $4.2 million in total salary, bonuses and stock awards.
Last week, Cerner announced two other executive changes.
Shafer promoted Travis Dalton, who led the Cerner government services division, as the new chief client and services officer, replacing John Peterzalek. Similarly, Dan Devers, the company’s senior vice president of cloud strategies, became Cerner’s new chief legal officer, replacing Randy Sims.
Cerner, a global healthcare IT firm, is the largest private employer in the Kansas City area with some 14,000 employees spread across multiple campuses.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 8:01 AM.
