Mark T. Bertolini is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aetna, a Fortune 100 diversified health care benefits company with $58 billion in 2014 revenue. Aetna serves an estimated 46 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care and has operations in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Mr. Bertolini assumed the role of CEO on November 29, 2010 and of Chairman on April 8, 2011.
Mr. Bertolini joined Aetna in 2003 as head of Aetna’s Specialty Products. From July 2007 to December 2014, he served as president, responsible for all of Aetna’s businesses and operations across the company’s broad range of health care products and related services – including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, as well as medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Prior to serving as Aetna’s president, Mr. Bertolini was executive vice president and head of Aetna’s regional businesses, which included the company’s individual, retiree, small group and middle market segments, as well as numerous product, network and service areas.
Recognized as an accessible, forward-thinking and solutions-oriented leader, Mr. Bertolini is actively engaged in the national dialogue on the future of health care. Mr. Bertolini meets regularly with state and federal policymakers to promote measures that increase access, lower costs and improve quality of health care. He is a strong advocate for a consumer-centered health care system, value-based payment design, and the expansion and use of health information technology.
Firmly committed to diversity and inclusion, Mr. Bertolini also serves as the company’s executive sponsor for diversity, participates in several Aetna employee resource groups, and maintains a blog to communicate with employees.
Mr. Bertolini serves as a director of Verizon Communications Inc. (communications and technology solutions), Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (insurance and investment products), The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a non-profit organization founded by Paul Newman that serves children with cancer and other serious illnesses, and the FIDELCO Guide Dog Foundation, a non-profit organization that breeds, trains and places German Shepherd guide dogs with people who have visual disabilities.
In 2009, he was elected the first straight ally board member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Bertolini has been honored for his leadership by numerous universities and organizations, including the National Italian American Foundation, Outward Bound, the National Kidney Registry, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the Quinnipiac University Business School, and Wayne State University School of Business.
Prior to joining Aetna, Mr. Bertolini held executive positions at Cigna, NYLCare Health Plans, and SelectCare, Inc., where he served as president and chief executive officer.
Born and raised in Detroit, Mr. Bertolini held various jobs throughout high school and college, including assembly work at a Ford Motor Company plant and various caregiver roles in health care delivery. Mr. Bertolini is a spinal cord injury survivor and is partially disabled as the result of a severe skiing accident in 2004. In 2007, Mr. Bertolini donated a kidney to his son. His previous work and personal experiences with the health care system are foundational to his dedication to improving the patient experience and addressing the longstanding challenges facing the U.S. health care system.
Mr. Bertolini holds an undergraduate degree in business administration/finance from Wayne State University and a MBA in finance from Cornell University.