Dive Brief:
- Hartford, Connecticut-based Aetna is once again bringing in a top executive with expertise in major consumer brands, reports the Hartford Courant.
- It has hired Thomas J. Sabatino Jr., previously the chief lawyer and administrator for Hertz, to serve as its executive vice president and general counsel. Sabatino also previously held roles at Walgreens, United Airlines, Schering-Plough, and Baxter International Inc.
- Aetna made a similar move in September when it brought on Gary Loveman, previously the chairman and CEO of Caesars Entertainment, to serve as corporate executive vice president and president of Aetna's Healthagen consumer business.
Dive Insight:
What Hertz and Ceasar's have in common, that Aetna appears to want, is expertise in tracking and managing customers to build brand loyalty. Building a consumer culture is part of Aetna's strategy for the future, right along with its planned Humana merger.
While Sabatino is new to insurance, he does have background in pharmaceuticals and medical products, the Hartford Courant notes, while Loveman is known for leading the creation of the data-based customer loyalty program at Harrah's, and an incentive-based company wellness program at Caesars.
The newspaper notes the executives also each helped Hertz and Caesars to weather financial crises: a Hertz stock collapse in 2014 and a bankruptcy of Caesars' largest operating unit in 2015.