Karen S. Lynch

Biography

Karen S. Lynch (formerly Rohan) is President of Aetna, a Fortune 50 diversified health care benefits company. She is responsible for driving the strategic execution of Aetna’s vision through her leadership of the company’s commercial, government and specialty businesses, representing 95 percent of Aetna’s revenues. Ms. Lynch assumed the role of President in January 2015. She is the first woman to serve in the role in the company’s 164-year history. Ms. Lynch joined Aetna in 2012 as executive vice president and head of Specialty Products. In 2013, she assumed management of Local and Regional Businesses, a combined business unit dedicated to serving the varied health care needs of individuals and employers. Ms. Lynch successfully led Aetna’s integration efforts for its 2013 acquisition of Coventry Health Care. Ms. Lynch has nearly three decades of experience in the health care industry. Prior to joining Aetna, she held executive positions at Cigna and Magellan Health Services, where she served as president. Ms. Lynch began her career with Ernst & Young as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). In 2016, Ms. Lynch was named one of Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for her leadership and contributions to improving the health care system. She was also recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the 2017 Top 25 Women in Healthcare, highlighting her role in transforming health care delivery across the country. Ms. Lynch serves as a director of U.S. Bancorp; a trustee of The Bushnell Performing Arts Center; and an advisory board member of NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans, a nonprofit organization that provides independence to people through canine assistance. She is a member of the Global 50 and the Boston College Women’s Council. Ms. Lynch served for three consecutive years as Honorary Chair of the Komen Connecticut Race for the Cure, and she is a past advisory board member for the Boston office of Ernst & Young. Ms. Lynch has been recognized for her leadership by numerous organizations and publications, including the National Association for Specialty Health Organizations, Business Insurance, the Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, and Insurance Networking News. In 2011, Ms. Lynch co-chaired the Health Care and Pharmaceutical Task Force for the Wall Street Journal Women in the Economy Conference. Ms. Lynch earned her bachelor's degree in accounting from Boston College and an MBA from Boston University. In 2015, she was presented with an honorary doctorate degree of humane letters from Becker College in Worcester, MA.

Research Interest

 Management