Sorrow leaving Cigna [Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.]

Jun. 8--Cigna HealthCare's Mid-South operations, which include almost 2,000 workers in Chattanooga, is losing its president.

John Sorrow, who has headed the health insurer's Mid-South division from Chattanooga for six years, is leaving the company at the end of the month, he said Monday.

"It's got great people, and I'll miss working with them," he said.

Mr. Sorrow, 43, will be replaced by Richard Novack, who oversees Cigna's operations in Georgia and Alabama.

Mr. Novack will continue to be based out of Atlanta and oversee Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Mississippi as well as Georgia and Alabama, Mr. Sorrow said.

"He's a highly capable leader," he said. "He'll be transitioning in."

Mr. Sorrow said he has no current plans.

"I'll be figuring out what the next step will be," he said. "It's been a hard decision. Now is the right time for me to move on."

Cigna, based out of Philadelphia, has had a presence in Chattanooga since it purchased Healthsource Corp. in the mid-1990s.

Kim White, president of the nonprofit downtown redevelopment group The RiverCity Co., said Mr. Sorrow has been involved in the central city and that Cigna is a big part of the area. The company houses about half of its Chattanooga work force downtown.

Mrs. White said she thinks the company will remain supportive of downtown.

J.Ed. Marston, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce's vice president of marketing, said Cigna has had a lot of growth and has a large employee base in the city.

"We feel good about what has been done in the past," he said. "We're working to engage Cigna and the decision-makers in Atlanta."

Mr. Sorrow said Cigna's medical membership in the Mid-South unit has grown in six and a half years from 360,000 to 620,000 today. All of that is growth achieved without an acquisition except for 30,000 members, he said.

"I'm proud of the growth we've had," Mr. Sorrow said.

He said the earnings in Tennessee are among "the best in the country" and the expense ratio is one of the lowest.

"We've truly improved the health of Tennesseans along the way," Mr. Sorrow said.

Mr. Novack has more than 20 years of health care industry experience, according to Cigna.

Prior to taking his Cigna post, he was general manager of special accounts/public entities at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, and he was president of Greater Georgia Life.

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