Aetna announced that Chief Financial Officer Joseph M. Zubretsky, has been named senior executive vice president and CFO, and given the additional responsibility of leading Aetna’s strategic diversification initiatives. In addition, Margaret (Meg) McCarthy, chief information officer and leader of Aetna’s innovation, technology and service operations, is being promoted to executive vice president. The effective date for the appointments was Nov. 29, 2010. They will report to Mark T. Bertolini, currently Aetna’s president and head of Business Operations, who recently was appointed chief executive officer, effective Nov. 29. Zubretsky joined Aetna in 2007. In addition to his new responsibilities, he will continue to lead the corporation’s financial activities, including financial and performance management, capital strategy and planning, investor relations, corporate development, investment management and strategic planning, as well as spearheading Aetna’s strategic diversification initiatives. McCarthy joined Aetna in 2003. In addition to her duties as CIO, she is responsible for clinical innovation, technology and service operations, as well as process and performance improvement, procurement and real estate services.
Allen Stoltman, CFA, joined Advantus Capital Management as a private placement investment officer. Stoltman will review and recommend private placement loan investments for Advantus and its clients, who primarily are institutional investors. He also will manage existing and future relationships with private placement borrowers. Stoltman, who lives in Minneapolis, Minn., earned an MBA from the University of Minnesota www.csom.umn.edu, Minneapolis, and a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. Prior to joining Advantus, Stoltman held credit and investment management positions at Agribank, FCB, and ING Investment Management, LLC. He is a member of the CFA Society of Minnesota.
Aetna announced that Chairman and CEO Ronald A. Williams, will retire from Aetna in April 2011. Aetna said that, effective Nov. 29, 2010, Williams became executive chairman and Mark T. Bertolini, currently Aetna’s president and head of Business Operations, will be appointed chief executive officer and elected to the company’s Board of Directors. Aetna said that the Board intends to elect Bertolini to the additional role of chairman of the Board upon the retirement of Williams. Bertolini joined Aetna in February 2003 and held a series of roles with increasing responsibilities before being named president in July 2007. Prior to joining Aetna, Bertolini held positions with Cigna and NYLCare and had been chief executive officer of SelectCare.
WellPoint, Inc. announced the appointment of Lori Beer as executive vice president of the newly formed Enterprise Business Services (EBS) organization. EBS is an integrated team that brings together five core business support functions—Service Operations, Operational Excellence, Information Technology, Information Management, and Sourcing and Supplier Management. Beer has more than 20 years of technology and related business experience, including more than 12 years at WellPoint. She has a proven track record of optimizing technology investments and driving cost-efficiency within the health care, telecommunications and government industries. Additionally, she was recognized by Profiles in Diversity Journal as one of its “Women Worth Watching In 2010,” and named by Insurance & Technology Magazine as one of its “Elite Eight.”
HireGenics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of American CyberSystems and a leading provider of workforce compliance and risk mitigation services, announced the appointment of Brian Soderholm as Chief Sales Officer. Soderholm will be responsible for driving strategic sales nationwide for the company’s contract labor payroll offerings and other services focusing on independent contractor classification and compliance. His efforts will be an integral component of the company’s growth as a market leader in this arena. A resident of Savage, Minn., Soderholm has 25 years of experience leading sales efforts leading workforce management and staffing companies. As a recognized sales leader in the human capital industry known for exponential revenue growth at above industry rates of revenue and profitability, Soderholm is an important addition to the HireGenics team, which offers Software as a Service (SaaS) to Fortune 500 customers.
Leslie Chapman, vice president and chief actuary, Securian Financial Group, in October was appointed chief risk officer by the board of directors. Though the title is new, the role is not new for Chapman. She oversaw the five-year, multifaceted development of Securian’s enterprise risk management (ERM) program that is in daily use by all Securian business units and financial management departments. Chapman also was named by Minneapolis based Finance & Commerce newspaper to its 10th annual list of Top Women in Finance. She and the other honorees were recognized during a dinner and program Nov. 10 in the Hyatt Regency’s Nicollet Ballroom in downtown Minneapolis.
HealthPlan Holdings, Inc. (HealthPlan) announced that it has appointed John S. Watts, Jr., a former executive with WellPoint, Inc., to chairman. HealthPlan is a leading provider of outsourcing solutions to insurers in the individual, small business, union trust and voluntary benefits markets. Mr. Watts brings to HealthPlan nearly 30 years of experience building, growing and leading large health plan organizations. He previously served as president and CEO of WellPoint’s commercial and consumer segment comprised of individual, small group, large group and national accounts. Prior to WellPoint, Mr. Watts was president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia.
AlwaysCare Benefits, one of America’s fastest-growing private companies, has named Danny L. Bentley Senior Vice President and Head of Sales. In his new role, Bentley will oversee sales of all employee benefit products and services, and continue the development of one of the industry’s leading group benefits sales teams. Bentley joins the company from Marsh USA, where he spent the last three years managing the sales, distribution and profitability of the company’s St. Louis and Kansas City offices, which served some of the largest companies in both cities, including several Fortune 500 companies. His extensive background in insurance and employee benefits also includes leadership positions with the insurance practice of a major, publicly traded investment banking firm where he participated in strategic business transactions involving more than $85 billion in revenue. Further, Bentley led the development of a $400 million revenue business unit within a major, publicly traded life insurance carrier that was an early pioneer in the voluntary dental benefits industry.
HealthScape Advisors LLC, the health care management-consulting firm, continued to expand its Senior Advisory Council with the addition of Christine Petersen, MD, MBA, who joined the firm as a Senior Advisor. A 30-year managed care industry veteran, Dr. Petersen, will be responsible for providing strategic counsel to health plans considering the development of accountable care organizations, patient centered medical homes as well as helping to develop consumer care management solutions. Dr. Petersen spent more than 10 years at Sierra Health Services, Inc. as Vice President, Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer where she was responsible for medical policy, the oversight of all medical management, HEDIS reporting, NCQA accreditation and new technology review as well as medical liaison for all community and national associations and organizations. Dr. Petersen also served as National Vice President for Utilization Management for Prudential Healthcare Group. She began her career in private practice before joining FHP, Inc. as Vice President, Medical Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer where she had bottom line accountability for medical groups and pharmacies.