SUMMARY
Dynamic executive with over 20 years experience in Healthcare and Consumer Products industries. Proven success developing $100MM+ businesses. Expertise in business development, new product development, competitive positioning, direct marketing and enhancing consumer experiences. Successfully turned around five businesses, founded three new companies and introduced over 30 new products. Outstanding strategic, analytic, leadership and interpersonal skills.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
MAGELLAN HEALTH SERVICES, INC., Avon, CT 2006 – 2008
$2 billion specialty healthcare management company focusing on behavioral health, radiology and specialty pharmacy management. Customers include health plans, corporations and government agencies.
Vice President, Corporate Marketing
Built Marketing across the entire company in this new position created by the CEO. Identified growth opportunities, sold customers & prospects, enhanced customers’ experience, managed direct marketing campaigns, directed advertising, instituted market research and implemented Salesforce.com.
- Identified venues to grow sales more than 12X by identifying customer needs, segmenting the market opportunity and leveraging Magellan’s strengths to provide new solutions, which collectively contributed to Magellan’s 27% growth.
- Developed and executed direct marketing campaigns and achieved over a 30% cold-call acceptance rate.
- Assessed Magellan and competitors’ performance on key buying metrics; identified competitors weaknesses, Magellan’s strengths, and areas for additional focus.
- Implemented Salesforce.com as a customized CRM platform which improved prospecting, consultative selling and account management.
OPTIMIZED BENEFITS, INC., Avon, CT 2004 – 2006
A start-up, national healthcare benefits company which targeted Fortune 500 companies and replaced the one-size-fits-all HMO and PPO plans with plans based on the life stages of employees.
Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
Managed operations, sales, product development, customer experience, finance and fund raising.
- Achieved a 26% cold-call success rate versus the industry norm of less than 5% through direct marketing.
- Developed an innovative health solution focused entirely on the customers’ experience.
- Successfully navigated the first round of fund-raising and maintained 100% control by negotiating with key vendors and collaboratively enrolling them to become strategic partners and fund startup costs.
- Established systems for: enrollment, claims payment, medical management, member & provider services, network access, education tools, ancillary services, etc.
CIGNA CORP., Hartford, CT 2001 – 2004
$16 billion insurance company providing medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, life, accident and disability plans and insurance world wide.
Vice President - Strategy Development 2003 – 2004
Directed strategy development across healthcare, group insurance and international business units.
- Determined and assessed critical action-items for the turnaround of CIGNA Healthcare, including strategic positioning, culture modifications, customer segmentation/targeting and processing which ultimately helped reverse membership declines.
- Broke down silos to work collaboratively with a multi-functional team and developed the healthcare strategy, market position and value proposition which helped stem dramatic membership declines.
- Innovated and developed a comprehensive Employee Benefits strategy by understanding unmet customer needs, identifying market opportunities/gaps and leveraging/creating CIGNA strengths improving our ability for full product line sales.
Asst. Vice President, Department Head – Healthcare Product Development 2001 – 2002
Created a new department to a) identify trends, stakeholder needs, customer experiences and competitive gaps, b) develop new products based upon consumerism to fill the gaps, and c) launch the products in market.
- Developed, implemented and primed a Product Development process generating a significant increase in new product activity with over 30 products either in the pipeline or ready for launch encompassing Medicare, Commercial and Individual product lines. This increased from nearly zero the prior year.
- Broke down functional silos and led a multi-functional team with 21 senior executives to approve, prioritize, and allocate resources for projects that strategically determined CIGNA's product portfolio and market direction.
- Initiated a culture change by collaboratively working with divisions/subsidiaries beyond the healthcare business to develop new product capabilities.
NABISCO, INC., Parsippany, NJ 1997 – 2001
$9 billion manufacturer and marketer of snack foods. Acquired by Kraft in 2001.
Director – Corporate Strategy & Business Development 2000 – 2001
Negotiated and managed corporate strategic alliances and identified new business opportunities for business acquisition or expansion that spanned multiple business units.
- Identified and developed cross-company business opportunities with sales exceeding $200MM.
- Managed strategic alliance with Coca-Cola, identified and developed multi-channel opportunities with sales potential exceeding $300MM driven by improving customer experiences at point-of-sale.
- Created, developed and initiated a multi-million dollar revenue opportunity based upon the teen consumer experience via direct to consumer advertising.
Senior Brand Manager – Air Crisps, Ritz Snack Mix & Equity Group Products 1999 – 2000
Restored revenue and business results on this $175MM product group. Developed and implemented strategic plans. Provided leadership and direction to advertising, media planning, product development, sales, finance, operations, PR, promotions and market research staff.
- Improved sales trend +17% pts through direct to consumer marketing campaigns.
- Improved sales +34% in test market with new products enhancing consumer experiences with the product.
- Developed comprehensive turnaround plans which fully repositioned the brand.
Brand Manager – SnackWell’s New Products 1997 – 1998
Revitalized new product revenue and business results on this $200MM brand. Developed and implemented strategic plans. Provided leadership and direction to advertising, media planning, product development, sales, finance, operations, PR, promotions and market research staff.
- Grew share +0.3% pts vs plan and reversed cookie declines from –24% to +15% driven by new products.
- Doubled historic trial rates for new product introductions driven by direct to consumer advertising.
- Improved advertising +66% vs norm driven by high persuasion.
- Uniquely recognized by peers as developing a highly motivated, productive team focused on delivering business performance.
CAMPBELL SOUP CO., Camden, NJ 1995 – 1997
$8 billion global manufacturer and marketer of foods and simple meals.
Marketing Manager Level II - Red & White Condensed Soup 1996 – 1997
Accelerated revenue and business results on this $400MM brand. Developed and implemented strategic plans. Provided leadership and direction to advertising, media planning, product development, sales, finance, operations, PR, promotions and market research staff.
- Increased sales +3.4% through direct to consumer marketing campaigns.
- Developed merchandising strategy and category management with Sales, dramatically increasing deal turns and segment profits.
- Developed consumer news on Campbell’s #1 SKU. Led multifunctional teams to research consumer needs, optimize the product, create new advertising and launch nationally.
- Restaged core segments to improve the consumer experience and better meet consumer needs.
Marketing Manager Level I - Chunky Soup 1995 – 1996
Reversed underperforming revenue and business results on this $260MM brand. Developed and implemented strategic plans. Provided leadership and direction to advertising, media planning, product development, sales, finance, operations, PR, promotions and market research staff.
- Grew volume +4.6%, reversing a -1.3% decline through direct to consumer marketing campaigns.
- Grew the business by uncovering key consumer needs and drivers, and translating them into persuasive direct to consumer advertising, promotions and public relations which culminated in improved customer experiences with the products.
- Developed a new product with projected sales over $10MM. Led a multifunctional team through idea generation, product testing, advertising and merchandising development.
- Restaged small-size business by improving the customer experience and dramatically increasing profits.
PROCTER & GAMBLE, CO., Cincinnati, OH 1990 – 1995
$80 billion manufacturer of consumer and professional cleaning, beauty and food products.
Assistant Brand Manager - Duncan Hines 1992 – 1995
Rebuilt revenue and business results on the $125MM layer cake business. Developed and implemented strategic plans. Provided leadership and direction to advertising, media planning, product development, PR, promotions and market research staff.
- Grew volume +3.3%, reversing a -7.3% decline, by developing & implementing pricing, merchandising and ad strategies targeted direct to consumers.
- Nationally introduced 13 new products in 7/94 and 9 in 7/95 generating over $50MM.
- Created a new-product-development-process that cut time to launch by 50%.
- Managed media planning and budgets totaling $15MM and $9MM and significantly improved the media spend efficacy with direct to consumer advertising.
- Designed and executed competitive analyses and entered new segments based around customer experiences.
- Developed cutting-edge category management principles and executions with Sales.
Brand Assistant - Sunny Delight 1991 – 1992
Spearheaded the 16 oz. SKU, product development, test marketing, national expansion, Sales sell-in and advertising.
- Increased Net Revenue $23.5MM and profits commensurably by nationally introducing 3 new products and increasing sales of the 16 oz. size product 26%.
- Developed and implemented direct-to-consumer marketing plan which created significant store appeal leveraging high margins, quick turns and merchandising, while increasing teen appeal through "cool" teen-target TV advertising.
THE BENCHMARK COMPANIES, Syracuse, NY 1985 – 1989
A controlled group of companies with sales under $10MM that provided pension administration, tax consulting and brokerage services to small companies and professionals.
Treasurer/CFO and Principal
- Created largest earnings in the companies' histories and increased revenue by 52% over two years by developing and implementing a comprehensive strategic business plan and increasing services.
- Co-founded two new entrepreneurial ventures: an NASD registered brokerage company and a tax consulting company.
EDUCATION
MBA, Management and Organizational Behavior (dual concentration), 1991
JGSM Cornell Business School, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Graduated with Distinction
BS, Accounting and Decision Science (dual major), 1985
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA |
