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Aetna Chairman Ronald A. Williams to Retire April 8 CEO Mark T. Bertolini to Succeed Williams as Chairman

^{Published on 2011-02-25 10:40:49 - Market Wire}
 

HARTFORD, Conn.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today that Chairman Ronald A. Williams, 61, will retire on April 8, 2011. At that time, Mark T. Bertolini, 54, CEO and president, will become chairman of the Board of Directors. Upon Williamsa™ retirement, the number of directors will be reduced from 14 to 13.

"In October 2010, I indicated my intention to retire in April"

aIn October 2010, I indicated my intention to retire in April,a Williams said. aAt that time, the Board of Directors disclosed its intent to elect Mark Bertolini chairman upon my retirement. The Board and I believe Mark is the ideal person to lead Aetna going forward. He has done an outstanding job in driving Aetnaa™s strong operating improvement and in the development of our strategic vision of the future.a

aI am extremely gratified by the Boarda™s confidence in naming me chairman of Aetna,a Bertolini said. aI could not have had a better mentor and role model than Ron Williams. His disciplined, measured approach to managing and focus on integrity, accountability and operating excellence never wavered, even in the face of rapidly changing dynamics in the health care marketplace. I am now looking forward to the next chapter in Aetnaa™s proud history. I am confident that we have the right strategy, management team and workforce to be the global leader in empowering people to live healthier lives.a

Bertolini joined Aetna in February 2003 and held a series of roles with increasing responsibilities before being named president and head of Business Operations in July 2007. He became CEO and joined the Board of Directors on November 29, 2010. Before joining Aetna, Bertolini held positions with Cigna and NYLCare and had been chief executive officer of SelectCare.

Aetna is one of the nationa™s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 35.3 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see [ www.aetna.com ]. To learn more about Aetna's innovative onlinetools, visit [ www.aetnatools.com ].