Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 28, 2024 3 BIZ BRIEFS www.easternct.edu/visit FALL OPEN HOUSE S AT U R D AY, N OV E M B E R 9 Spend the day exploring our vibrant campus, chatting with passionate faculty, and discovering the perfect program for your future. From cutting-edge facilities to a welcoming community, Eastern has it all. CONGRATULATIONS ERIC HARRISON HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL'S 2024 NONPROFIT CEO: C-SUITE AWARDS United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut is proud to congratulate our very own President and CEO, Eric Harrison, for being recognized as HBJ's 2024 Nonprofit CEO at this year's C-Suite Awards. As we celebrate our centennial year and beyond, United Way recognizes Eric's leadership and commitment to ending poverty in all its forms across the 860 region. @unitedwayinc unitedwayinc.org ONWARD860 Former Aetna President Lynch out as CVS CEO Karen Lynch, who formerly led Hartford health insurer Aetna, has been replaced as CVS Health's CEO. CVS' board of directors named David Joyner as her immediate replacement. Joyner was most recently exec- utive vice president of CVS Health, and president of CVS Caremark, which is the company's pharmacy services business. The leadership change comes as CVS Health has struggled over the past year with various issues, including higher medical expenses from its Hartford-based insurance arm that have weighed down earnings. Lynch made several recent moves to try to address the situation, including replacing former Aetna President Brian Kane in August, less than a year after he was appointed to the role. A month later, CVS announced that it would cut 1% of its work- force, or about 2,900 employees, across the company, including about 416 employees who work for Aetna. CVS' board of directors is also performing a full assessment of the company, including the possibility of breaking it up, according to the Wall Street Journal. CT Airport Authority names new executive director The Connecticut Airport Author- ity's board of directors named Michael W. Shea its next executive director. Shea, who currently serves as CAA's deputy executive director, will succeed Kevin Dillon. Dillon previously announced that he planned to retire in early 2025, and the board began a nation- wide search for his replacement in May 2024. Shea started as CAA's director of finance and CFO in 2013. McCarter & English adds to Hartford IP team with acquisition Law firm McCarter & English has acquired the entire practice of Hartford-based boutique IP firm Harrington & Smith. Joining McCarter & English is Harrington's named partner Mark Harrington; partners Wayne Grohs and Robert Mauri; associates Joseph Drish, John Garrity and Monica Laskos; and five professional staff members. The practices of the Harrington attorneys are focused on patent port- folio preparation and prosecution for technology companies. It's the second expansion in Hart- ford for McCarter in October. Earlier in the month, the firm announced it had added a team from McElroy and Deutsch to its trusts, estates and private clients practice. Sikorsky to install remote flight capabilities in Black Hawk helicopter Stratford-based helicopter maker Sikorsky has received a $6 million award from the U.S. government's Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) to test its autonomic flight technology in a Black Hawk helicopter. Sikorsky, which is owned by Lock- heed Martin, will install its ALIAS/ MATRIX flight autonomy system onto the UH-60M Black Hawk, with the aim of exploring a range of new capabilities, including being able to fly the aircraft remotely, with a ground operator giving commands via a tablet computer. Sikorsky has already tested the autonomy system over hundreds of flight hours on its UH-60A fly-by-wire optionally piloted Black Hawk. Sikorsky will integrate the MATRIX system into the newly designated MX helicopter in 2025. The project will evaluate different sensor systems to perceive and avoid threats and obstacles to flight, including difficult terrain. HBJ FILE PHOTO CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Karen Lynch is the former CEO of CVS Health. The MX Black Hawk aircraft is to be equipped with the MATRIX autonomy system. Michael W. Shea

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