Executive Biographies: Ronald A. Williams
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Aetna Inc.
Ronald A. Williams is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aetna Inc.,
a leading diversified health care benefits company, which had revenue of
approximately $27.6 billion in 2007. Under his leadership, Aetna has sought
to make a positive impact on health care in America by serving as a
catalyst for change, focusing the industry, public policy leaders,
physicians and employers on issues aimed at increasing access and
affordability.
Joining Aetna in 2001, Mr. Williams has focused on creating innovation in
the industry, especially through information technology, and bringing new
levels of transparency to the health care system. In September 2001, Aetna
became the first national insurer to offer a consumer-directed health plan.
In August 2005, Aetna's launch of a new online consumer tool to view
physician-specific price information was widely recognized as the beginning
of a new era of transparency in the health care marketplace. More recently,
Aetna led the effort to develop industry standards for electronic personal
health records, which provide a new way for consumers to be more engaged in
their health care.
In 2002, Mr. Williams was named President and joined Aetna's Board. He was
named CEO in February 2006 and Chairman of the Board in October 2006.
Throughout his Aetna career, Mr. Williams has been outspoken in making the
business case for quality in health care. He guided efforts to create Aetna's
Aexcel network to provide access to cost-effective, quality care in high-cost
specialties.
Mr. Williams also is a strong proponent of meaningful health care reform. He
was an early advocate in calling for an individual coverage requirement to
expand access to health care and provide assistance to those who truly
cannot afford it. He has championed specific reforms in op-ed articles he
authored in The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.
Mr. Williams also lends his time and expertise to a number of organizations,
such as the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare, which he currently
chairs. He is a trustee of The Conference Board and the Connecticut Science
Center Board, and a member of the Business Council and Business Roundtable.
In January 2007, he was elected to the Board of Directors of American Express
Company. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he serves on the MIT
Sloan Dean's Advisory Council, and he is a member of the Alfred P. Sloan
Management Society.
Prior to joining Aetna, Mr. Williams was Group President of the Large Group
Division at WellPoint Health Networks Inc. and President of the company's
Blue Cross of California subsidiary. Mr. Williams joined Blue Cross of
California in 1987 and accepted a series of increasingly prominent roles.
Previously, Mr. Williams was co-founder and Senior Vice President at Vista
Health Corp., group marketing executive at Control Data Corp., and President
and co-founder of Integrative Systems.
Mr. Williams is a graduate of Roosevelt University and holds an M.S. in
Management from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology.