Hartford, Conn., USA - October 21, 2010, Hartford, Conn., USA - Aetna, a global diversified health company, announced that chairman and CEO Ronald A. Williams will retire in April 2011.
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Joining Aetna in 2001, Mr. Williams has focused on creating innovation in the industry, helping make possible new levels of transparency in the health care system. He was named CEO in February 2006 and Chairman of the Board in October 2006.
Mr. Williams also serves as chairman of the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare and is a trustee of The Conference Board and the Connecticut Science Center Board. In January 2007, he was elected to the Board of Directors of American Express Company, and in October 2008, he was elected a vice chairman of The Business Council.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. Williams serves on the MIT North America Executive Board. He is a member of the Alfred P. Sloan Management Society, the Business Roundtable, the International Federation of Health Plans, the Healthcare Leadership Council and the National Intelligence Senior Advisory Group.
Prior to joining Aetna, Mr. Williams was Group President of the Large Group Division at WellPoint Health Networks Inc. and President of the company’s Blue Cross of California subsidiary. Mr. Williams is a graduate of Roosevelt University and holds an M.S. in Management from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The company also announced that, effective November 29, 2010, Mr. Williams will become executive chairman and that the board intends to elect Bertolini to the additional role of chairman of the Board upon the retirement of Williams.
In his full-time role as executive chairman, Williams will focus on board duties as well as Aetna’s Chairman’s Initiatives, public policy and federal regulatory strategy.
Following his retirement from Aetna, Mr. Williams has agreed to provide consulting services to Aetna and the Aetna Foundation through February 2012.
The company also announced that Mark T. Bertolini, currently president and head of business operations, will be appointed chief executive officer and elected to the board of directors. ■