Aetna Chairman Ronald A. Williams to Retire

Aetna today announced that Chairman and CEO Ronald A. Williams, 60, will retire from Aetna in April 2011. Aetna said that, effective November 29, 2010, Williams will become executive chairman and Mark T. Bertolini, 54, currently Aetna's president and head of Business Operations, will be appointed chief executive officer and elected to the company's Board of Directors.

"After nearly 10 years at Aetna and with the company performing well, it is time to step aside. The passage of major health care reform legislation has underscored the need for market-based solutions to address quality and affordability challenges in health care, and the next few years will present another opportunity for Aetna to lead," said Williams. "Mark Bertolini is the ideal person to take Aetna forward. He has done an excellent job in driving Aetna's strong operating improvement and in the development of our strategic vision of the future."

Aetna is one of the America's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 35.8 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care