Some CEOs may come and go. But David Cordani, the outgoing CEO of The Cigna Group, has been with the company for around 35 years, becoming president in 2008 and CEO in 2009.
Mr. Cordani departs his role July 1 but will remain as executive chair of the board. Prior to his Cigna head executive position, Mr. Cordani assumed leadership roles in finance, marketing and operations across the company. Later, he played a broader role in the health insurance landscape, as well, serving as AHIP chair in 2019.
During his time as Cigna’s CEO, Mr. Cordani gave the company a major makeover, betting big beyond insurance. Those bets appear to have paid off: In 2025, the company brought in about $275 billion in revenue, up from roughly $18 billion when Mr. Cordani began his tenure, according to Cigna. The company now employs more than 70,000 and serves about 185 million customer and patient relationships across its business lines.
Since becoming CEO, one of Mr. Cordani’s boldest moves was the $67 billion acquisition of pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts in 2018. The deal survived Justice Department scrutiny and ultimately paved the way for Cigna to unify health services under the Evernorth Health Services brand in 2020. In 2025, Evernorth brought in nearly $235 billion in revenue, with more than $132 billion from pharmacy benefit services and $102 billion from specialty and care services.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a pivotal moment for Cigna. Along with other AHIP members’ efforts, Cigna committed to waiving copays and cost-sharing for diagnostic testing in early March 2020. Aetna, Humana and Cigna had waived cost-sharing for treatment related to COVID-19, and Cigna extended its cost-relief efforts as the pandemic persisted.
Mr. Cordani continued shaping pharmacy initiatives in recent years. The company announced its rebate-free pharmacy benefit model in the fall, which will scale over the next few years. The initiative will incur short-term investment and other transition costs in 2026 and 2027 as it gains footing. Cigna also said Mr. Cordani furthered drug affordability efforts, including a $25 insulin cap, a $0 copay for a Humira biosimilar and a $200 monthly cap on GLP-1 medications.
Despite Cigna’s recent decision to end GLP-1 weight-loss coverage for its own employees, the company has historically stood behind other GLP-1 efforts. It launched a GLP-1 management program for its plans in March 2024, capping annual increases at 15%. Along with the financial guarantee, the program also has a lifestyle component.
At the time, Mr. Cordani told CNBC the company believed “pharmaceutical or pharmacological innovation was going to define the next decade, and GLP-1s are an example of that.”
Meanwhile, as Cigna has been leaning into Evernorth, its insurance division has been pulling back. Cigna sold its Medicare Advantage business to Health Care Service Corp. in 2025 and said it plans to exit ACA exchanges at the end of 2026. On an earnings call, Mr. Cordani’s successor, Brian Evanko — who most recently was president and COO — embraced this narrower scope and said divestment “enabled greater focus and investment in the remaining businesses within our portfolio.”
Mr. Evanko takes the helm with nearly 30 years of experience at Cigna under his belt.
“The status quo in healthcare today is unsustainable. By leading from the front and making meaningful changes, we have delivered sustained impact for customers and strengthened the company strategically, operationally and financially,” Mr. Cordani said in a March news release. “Now is the right time to transition leadership to build on our progress and carry our momentum forward.”
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