Anthem Blue Cross announced on Thursday that J. Brian Ternan will become the company’s president and oversee commercial operations in California. The Thousand Oaks unit of Anthem Inc. hired Ternan away from rival health insurer Aetna Inc., where he oversaw the western region for group, individual, Medicare and public sales. During his nine years at Aetna, Ternan served as president of the Southern California market and West Region national accounts. He previously worked at United Healthcare and Mercer, a human relations consulting firm. “As our industry transforms into one where consumers are making more purchasing decisions, Brian’s experience and market insights will be invaluable in leading our California efforts,” said Pam Kehaly, president of Anthem’s west region and specialty business, in a statement. Ternan replaces Mark Morgan, who left the company in April. Anthem is based in Indianapolis.