Who: Karen Rohan, 51
New role: President of Aetna, effective Jan. 1. Rohan will oversee Aetna's national, government, specialty and local/regional business lines and will report to CEO Mark Bertolini.
Previous roles: Rohan joined Aetna in 2012 after working as president of Magellan Health and as an executive at Cigna Corp. As executive VP, she led Aetna's integration of Coventry Health Care, which Aetna acquired in 2013. That deal was valued at $7.3 billion, including debt. Rohan also oversaw Aetna's entrance into the individual exchanges established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Her 2013 compensation totaled $3.45 million.
Wall Street's view: Some believe Rohan's promotion could signal potential succession planning for Bertolini. Rohan and Bertolini worked together at Cigna. Aetna competitor UnitedHealth Group made a similar executive move in November when it named CFO David Wichmann president. Some view Wichmann as the eventual successor to CEO Stephen Hemsley.
Bertolini on her promotion: “I am pleased that Karen will take this enhanced role in helping direct our operations as we continue to grow and meet the evolving needs of our customers. Karen is a proven leader and has been instrumental in implementing our business strategy.”
