Boca Raton, Florida, United States
A veteran of more than 10 CEO successions and transitions on 9 corporate boards, as well as leading the turnaround of insurance giant Aetna as chairman and CEO, Ron Williams is an expert in the transformational change required to enable corporate turnarounds, profitable growth, innovation, and sustainable corporate leadership. Williams devotes time to coaching CEOs, boards and c-suite executives on strategy and values-based leadership, transforming the American healthcare system through value-based care, philanthropy, working with private equity, and corporate, non-profit, and public sector boards. Mr. Williams is the best-selling author of Learning to Lead: The Journey to Leading Yourself, Leading Others and Leading an Organization. Williams is the founder, chairman and CEO of RW2 Enterprises, and is the former chairman, president, and CEO of Aetna Inc. He is a director for Boeing and Warby Parker, cofounder and chairman of agilon health, and chairman of apree health, which includes Castlight and Vera Whole Health. He is an operating advisor to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, where he has successfully guided three portfolio company exits: naviHealth, PharMEDium and Envision Healthcare. Mr. Williams is chairman of The Conference Board, a member of the Cleveland Clinic Board of Trustees and a member of the McKinsey External Advisory Group. He is a member of the President’s Circle of National Academies. He serves on the board of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and is a member of the Peterson Center on Healthcare Advisory Board. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development. At Aetna, Mr. Williams transformed the company’s strategy, culture, operating performance, and financial results. When he joined Aetna in 2001, its loss from continuing operations was $292 million, with earnings per share loss of $0.46. In 2011, the year he stepped down as chairman, Aetna’s full-year operating earnings were $2 billion, with operating earnings per share of $5.17, and the company was ranked 77th on the FORTUNE 100 list. Market capitalization grew from $4.7 billion in 2001 to $15.3 billion in 2011. During his tenure the company was named FORTUNE’s most admired company in health care for three consecutive years. Aetna is now part of CVS Health.
Mr. Williams advises senior corporate executives on the development of strategy and how to achieve transformational leadership grounded in core values, keys to successful board service. He also works with private sector, public sector and nonprofit groups to address critical societal needs.
Mr. Williams successfully guided two CD&R portfolio company exits: Envision Healthcare (NYSE: EVHC) and PharMEDium Corporate.