Rising health costs have companies all in a tizzy, but Anthony "Buddy" Piszel will have a somewhat different perspective on the issue in his new job as CFO and executive vice president of Health Net Inc., an $11 billion managed health care provider based in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Piszel succeeds Marv Rich, who was named executive vice president of operations and will focus on customer service, claims processing and information technology. Piszel, 49, joins Health Net from Prudential Financial Inc., where he worked for more than 10 years, most recently as controller and senior vice president. Earlier, he spent more than 10 years at Deloitte & Touche LLP and two years as a practice fellow at the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

Prudential, which had $27.9 billion of 2003 revenues, appointed its chief tax officer, Peter Sayre, to succeed Piszel as controller. Sayre, 51, is a 19-year veteran of Prudential and will retain his role as chief tax officer.