digg this | mixx! | reddit | del.icio.us | Newsvine | |  e-mail article |  print | post comments | NEWSLETTER ©DiversityInc. Reproduction in any format is absolutely prohibited.

Aetna Chairman and CEO Ronald Williams today announced the appointment of Mark Bertolini as president of the healthcare-benefits company. Bertolini, who was promoted to executive vice president and head of business operations in May, will continue to be responsible for Aetna's business management, reporting directly to Williams.

He will also help shape strategy as Aetna strives to meet the rapidly changing needs of its nearly 35 million customers and differentiate itself in the marketplace. Read a leadership profile of Bertolini in the December 2006 issue of DiversityInc magazine.

"Aetna's rich history and strong brand will propel us in our efforts to positively impact healthcare in America," Bertolini said in a statement. "Our more than 30,000 employees are working daily to offer innovative solutions to customers that make a difference in the lives of the people we serve. As president, I will work to ensure that Aetna continues to be the company that our members, employers, healthcare professionals and distribution partners prefer to do business with."

Increasingly, corporate commitment to diversity drives a company's status as a brand of choice. Bertolini is the executive sponsor of the Aetna Network for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Employees (ANGLE), Aetna's resource group for LGBT employees. A straight, white-male executive, Bertolini was dismayed that the group lacked a senior-executive sponsor, which Aetna's other employee-resource groups had, and took the position in 2004 because he knew that without support from the top, no meaningful cultural change could happen. Bertolini was already serving as an executive sponsor of Aetna's companywide diversity committee at the time. One of the first companies to offer domestic-partner benefits to same-sex partners, Aetna recognizes the powerful market force of this group as well as that of their families and friends.

Bertolini's vision and leadership in this arena and others will serve him well in his new position. "He is a leader with a strong focus on profitable growth, customer service and innovation and has been an important voice in the discussion of how to transform healthcare," Williams said in a statement. "I am confident that Mark will continue to make important contributions as company president and look forward to working with him over time as we continue to enhance the value of the company by making a difference in the lives of our members."

Bertolini has held a series of positions of increasing responsibility since joining Aetna in 2003 as senior vice president of specialty products. Prior to joining the company, Bertolini worked with Cigna and NYLCare and was chief executive office of SelectCare. 

A longtime diversity leader, Aetna is one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies in 2007, and Williams is one of six black Fortune 500 CEOs. Get more Fortune 500 CEO statistics here.

More People & Places>>

digg this | mixx! | reddit | del.icio.us | Newsvine | |  e-mail article |  print | post comments | NEWSLETTER

Send Your Comments About This Article Now