JPMorgan Chase & Co. said Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon underwent emergency heart surgery and that it’s placing co-Presidents Daniel Pinto and Gordon Smith in charge during his recuperation.
Dimon “experienced an acute aortic dissection” early Thursday, the bank said. “It was caught early and the surgery was successful. He is awake, alert and recovering well.”
Dimon, 63, is the longest-serving head of a major U.S. bank, overseeing a juggernaut of both Wall Street and consumer lending that’s been setting profit records for the nation’s financial industry in recent years. He also serves as chairman and has frequently joked over much of a decade that he plans to keep running the company for five more years.
“We have exceptional leaders across our businesses and functions—led by our outstanding CEO and co-presidents,” the board’s lead director, Lee Raymond, said in a statement. “Our company will move forward together with confidence as we continue to serve our customers, clients, communities and shareholders.”
Dimon was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and underwent radiation treatment and chemotherapy. At the time, the bank’s board emphasized that it works hard to ensure leadership talent is on hand in case of an emergency. At the beginning of 2018, Dimon handed off some responsibilities to lieutenants Pinto and Smith as part of succession planning.
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