Aetna Promotions Continue, CIO Meg McCarthy Among Them

McCarthy is being promoted to EVP, while CFO Joseph Zubretsky has been named senior EVP and CFO.

Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna has promoted Margaret McCarthy from CIO to EVP. The company also added to CFO Joseph Zubretsky's duties, naming him senior EVP as well as CFO and giving him responsibility for Aetna's strategic diversification initiatives.

The moves follow the retirement of Aetna CEO Ron Williams, effective November 29. Company president Mark Bertolini will take over for Williams.

“Meg McCarthy is a strong, well-rounded executive with deep knowledge of our technology and service platforms, which are key elements to successfully executing our customer-focused strategy to build a better, more information-driven health care marketplace," Bertolini says in a statement. "Meg has provided a consistent vision of the future use of technology in health care, which will be essential in the successful implementation of health care reform.”

McCarthy, who joined Aetna in 2003, was named one of Insurance & Technology's Elite 8 executives in 2007. She is responsible for clinical innovation, technology and service operations, as well as process and performance improvement, procurement and real estate services. An Aetna representative told Insurance & Technology that the promotion reflects her taking on of those additional duties; as such, she will continue as the carrier's full-time CIO.

Another former Elite 8, Wellpoint's Lori Beer, was promoted to EVP of a newly formed business unit earlier this month. A.J. Lang will fill the CIO role at that company. Meanwhile, in addition to his new diversification responsibilities, Zubretsky will continue to lead the carrier's financial activities, including financial and performance management, capital strategy and planning, investor relations, corporate development, investment management and strategic planning.

“Since he joined the company three years ago, Joe Zubretsky has proven to be a strong leader whose strategic and financial acumen is critical to the company's success,” Bertolini says in the statement. “Joe’s hands-on leadership in evaluating and managing new business development opportunities has further leveraged our already strong core businesses. I am pleased to elevate him into a broader leadership role where he can further our efforts to develop new revenue streams across our business portfolio."

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio