HARTFORD, Conn. - (Business Wire) Aetna (NYSE: AET) today announced the appointment of Gery J. Barry, 55, as the company
’s chief strategy officer. Barry will report to Chairman and CEO Ronald A. Williams and join Aetna
’s Executive Committee. Barry has been president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana since 2004.
“We are very pleased to have Gery join Aetna’s executive management team in this important role,” Williams said. “He has been a highly successful leader and business executive in the health care industry, with the kind of knowledge and insights that can help take our strategic planning to the next level.”
During his time at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, Barry was recognized for realigning the company’s senior management team and culture, for directing the replacement and modernization of essential infrastructure, and for establishing a new vision and strategic plan that brought about significant growth in its core business, and has positioned the company for emerging opportunities. During the same period, he led the company’s acclaimed response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and has been at the center of Louisiana’s health care reform initiatives.
From 1996 to 2003, Barry was Liberty Mutual’s country leader for Canada, where his primary responsibility was being president and CEO of Liberty Health, a Canadian health insurance and group life and disability company based in Toronto, which was followed by strategic a consulting engagement on Canadian health insurance for a large international firm.
From 1975 to 1996, he was employed at Aetna, serving in increasingly responsible roles culminating in his appointment as vice president of National Accounts for Aetna Health Plans. He also served as vice president, National Operations, vice president, Investment Risk Management and Aetna Benefits Consulting, and in various actuarial, financial, underwriting, and product management assignments of increasing scope and complexity.
Barry earned a B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in 1974, an M.S. degree in applied mathematics from Rutgers University in 1975, and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 37.2 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. www.aetna.com
Aetna
Media Contact:
David W. Carter, 860-273-3658
carterdw@aetna.com
or
Investor Contact:
Jeffrey A. Chaffkin, 860-273-7830
chaffkinj@aetna.com
