For the second time this year, the state’s largest nonprofit health insurer has named a new chief executive officer.
Michael Guyette will become CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota in early January, according to an announcement Wednesday, Dec. 17, from the Eagan-based health insurance company.
Blue Cross has been without a CEO since July when the company pushed out Kenneth Burdick as chief executive officer due in part to concerns about a “culture clash” at the nonprofit company.
Before taking the top job at Blue Cross, Burdick worked for Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group and another for-profit insurer.
Guyette most recently served as president of national accounts for Aetna Inc., a for-profit health insurer based in Connecticut.
Before that, he worked for nonprofit insurers including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Independence Blue Cross, which is based in Philadelphia.
“I had roughly 13 years in the Blue system (and the) nonprofit world,” Guyette said in an interview.
“To me, health care is local — you have to be very connected on a local basis with your providers and your community. That’s where I see nonprofits showing their strength.”
A native of Rhode Island, Guyette holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of North Texas and an MBA from Villanova University.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota employs about 3,600 people.
In 2011, the parent company of Blue Cross reported earnings of $171.6 million on $9.26 billion in revenue.