Brian Kane on Sept. 1 took over as president of Aetna, the iconic health insurer that’s been rooted in Hartford for about 170 years.
Many have wondered what Aetna’s future in Hartford would be following Rhode Island-based CVS Health’s 2018 purchase of the company.
Recent layoffs at Aetna – part of a broader nationwide cost-cutting effort by CVS Health – created further unease.
But Kane, 50, said he’s bullish on Hartford and wants to reignite Aetna’s role in the city, starting with getting more people back to the office on a consistent basis and bringing back to life the company’s sprawling 1.7-million-square-foot corporate headquarters campus on Farmington Avenue.
Aetna employs thousands of workers in Connecticut.
“There are no plans for Aetna to leave Hartford,” Kane told the Hartford Business Journal during a December sit-down interview at the company’s Hartford campus. “I’ve moved my family here. We’re committed. Our history and legacy are here, and so I don’t think you can minimize that. We play an important role in the community.”
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A history buff, Kane said he’s taken time in his first few months on the job to learn about Hartford’s history and Aetna’s longtime role in it.
“I want my executive team to be very tied into Hartford, to participate in the Hartford community, and you’re going to see us be much more active in the community, whether it’s joining not-for-profit boards, doing volunteer events, hosting more things at our campus,” Kane said.
Kane leads a health insurance giant that provides benefits and coverage to employers, individuals and government entities, serving nearly 35 million people.
The Harvard MBA graduate previously spent 17 years at Goldman, Sachs & Co., including time as a managing director in the investment banking division. He was also the chief financial officer for Louisville, Kentucky-based Fortune 50 health insurer Humana.