When Ronald A. Williams takes over as CEO of Aetna next month, he will be the first black person to hold that position in the company’s more than 150-year history.
Williams, 56, currently serves as president of the insurance giant. He has been recognized as among the country’s most influential black executives.
The current chairman and CEO, John W. Rowe, 61, will retire at the end of 2006. He has been chairman since 2001 and CEO since 2000.
Williams joined Aetna in March 2001 as executive vice president and chief of health operations. He was named president in May 2002 and is a member of the four-person Office of the Chairman – the company’s most senior management governing body.