PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CIGNA International announced it will develop and offer individual Private Medical Insurance (PMI) to respond to the emerging needs of customers around the globe. CIGNA International – a world leader in global life, accident and health insurance and global expatriate benefits – will provide local PMI for citizens in countries outside the United States as well as to individual expatriates and high net worth individuals.

Keith Biddlestone has been appointed to lead CIGNA's international individual PMI effort, effective Feb. 1. He will report to CIGNA International President William L. Atwell and will be responsible for establishing and implementing the company’s individual PMI strategy on an international scale and creating a world-class international individual business.

"We’re very pleased to have Keith take on this important role for CIGNA International,” said Atwell. “While our goals are aggressive, with Keith’s leadership, capability, expertise, and in-depth knowledge of the individual PMI arena, I’m confident he’ll be successful in this new role and help CIGNA International better serve individual expatriates and local citizens around the globe.”

Biddlestone comes to CIGNA from Bupa International where he spent more than 25 years in a variety of health care leadership positions in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions. Most recently, Biddlestone served as managing director of Bupa’s global health care business based in the U.K. There, he maintained full profit and loss responsibility for operations across 190 countries and jurisdictions, including a multi-distribution program selling individual PMI. Prior to this, Biddlestone served as managing director of Bupa Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong where he led operations across the region, including the domestic PMI business in Hong Kong and Thailand. Biddlestone also has extensive experience in managing private hospitals and clinics in the U.K.

About CIGNA International

CIGNA International is part of CIGNA (NYSE:CI), a global health service and related insurance company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. CIGNA Corporation's operating subsidiaries in the United States provide an integrated suite of medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision care benefits, as well as group life, accident and disability insurance. Outside the U.S. CIGNA delivers access to superior quality health care and related financial protection programs to employers, affinity groups and individuals. CIGNA actively sells in 27 countries and jurisdictions and serves expatriates virtually everywhere in the world. On a global scale, CIGNA serves some 46 million people. To learn more about CIGNA, visit www.cigna.com. To sign up for email alerts or an RSS feed of company news, log on to http://newsroom.cigna.com/section_display.cfm?section_id=18