LifePoint Announces New CEO

Client	LifePoint
Situation	The board of directors of LifePoint had decided to name William F. (Bill) Carpenter III as its new CEO and announce the retirement of the current chairman and CEO. The retirement had not been previously communicated internally or externally so the announcement was expected to take all audiences by surprise. LifePoint had also made the decision to split the roles of chairman and CEO, with one of the directors becoming chairman. The investment community, an important constituency, was not very familiar with the new CEO who had previously been the General Counsel.
Strategies & Tactics	Sought internal input and buy-in.  Atkinson involved key managers in developing and executing the communication plan. Created materials.  Atkinson produced a timeline, news release, new bios on the CEO and chairman, internal communications, Q & A, updated company fact sheet, updates for website. Informed business partners.  The plan included briefings for key business partners (i.e., investment bankers, accountants) confidentially in advance of the announcement. Managed the message with investors.  The company held an investor conference call the day of the announcement. Took the message directly to internal audiences.  Atkinson’s plan called for face-to-face meetings with corporate employees and conference calls with LifePoint hospital CEOs on announcement day.
Results	Every key audience was reached prior to or simultaneous to the public release. LifePoint employees gave the new CEO a standing ovation in the employee meeting. Over 200 callers participated in the investor conference call. The new CEO and CFO made personal contact with a majority of key investors and analysts. Proactive media relations resulted in front-page stories on the new CEO in two Nashville. newspapers, an interview with Modern Health Care, coverage through Associated Press and in the Wall Street Journal.