James K. Foreman Joins Aetna as Senior Vice President and Head of Nati

James K. Foreman Joins Aetna as Senior Vice President and Head of National Accounts and Aetna Global Benefits; Russell D. Fisher to Retire in 2005 after 35 Years with Company

    Business Editors/Healthcare Editors

    HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 2005--

Foreman and Fisher to Work Closely on Transition
    Aetna (NYSE:AET) announced today that it has appointed Jim Foreman, 46, senior vice president and head of National Accounts and Aetna Global Benefits, reporting to President Ronald A. Williams, effective February 2005. Foreman will be responsible for the company's customer segment that handles employers with 3,000 or more eligible employees. Foreman will work closely with, and ultimately replace, Russ Fisher, the current senior vice president and head, who will retire at the end of the first quarter, 2005.
    Foreman joins Aetna from Towers Perrin, where he was global managing director, Health and Welfare. Towers Perrin is a global professional services firm that helps organizations around the world optimize performance through effective people, risk and financial management. Foreman's responsibilities at Towers Perrin included leading the growth and profitability of the Health and Welfare business, identifying health care trends, and consulting on cost savings opportunities.
    "I am very pleased to welcome Jim to Aetna," Williams said. "His leadership expertise, deep business knowledge and focus on customer relationships make him an excellent choice to lead our National Accounts segment. Jim is an Aetna alumni that we're glad to welcome back. He will be a valuable addition to my senior team.
    "I want to also express my gratitude to Russ Fisher, for whom I have tremendous respect," Williams continued. "He has contributed enormously to Aetna's turnaround and has been a critical force in helping us transform to a customer-focused organization. His leadership of the National Accounts organization, which serves approximately 80 percent of the Fortune 100 companies, has ensured continued strong performance. While I am sorry to see him go, he has built National Accounts into a top-notch organization with excellent prospects for growth."
    Foreman is a graduate of the Aetna Group School and spent three years at Aetna before moving to Towers Perrin. During his 20 year tenure at Towers Perrin, Foreman held several positions of increasing responsibility. He was a member of its Board of Directors and also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Foreman holds a bachelor's degree in business/economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
    As one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care benefits, Aetna puts information and helpful resources to work for its approximately 13.6 million medical members, 11.6 million dental members, 8.3 million pharmacy members and 13.3 million group insurance members to help them make better informed decisions about their health care and protect their finances against health-related risks. Aetna provides easy access to cost-effective health care through a nationwide network of more than 646,000 health care professionals, including over 385,000 primary care and specialist doctors and 3,908 hospitals. For more information, please visit www.aetna.com. (Figures as of September 30, 2004)

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CONTACT: Aetna Media Contact: Jill Griffiths, 860-273-8162 griffithsjb@aetna.com

KEYWORD: CONNECTICUT INDUSTRY KEYWORD: INSURANCE PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICAL MANAGEMENT CHANGES SOURCE: Aetna

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