Suzanne Schmitt

3461 21st Ave W

Seattle, WA 98199
206.599.9203
ss56c4a0@westpost.net
Summary of Qualifications
Driven senior marketing and communications director adept at: developing, refini
ng and executing integrated B2B and B2C growth strategies in print, online, elec
tronic and social media environments; building and managing dynamic high perform
ance teams (35+ FTEs, 15+ contractors); overseeing budgets in excess of $10MM; m
anaging both the creative processes and performance metrics necessary to demonst
rably drive sales; leveraging deep customer knowledge to develop and deliver the
right message to the right customer in the right way at the right time; establi
shing and evolving brands; creating, implementing and refining interactive marke
ting materials and tools that complement the sales cycle and provide the desired
customer experience; delivering growth, cost-savings and efficiency through sus
tainable process improvements grounded in a shared sense of purpose and best pra
ctices; and developing modular, easy-to-use materials and implementation roadmap
s that increase adoption, decrease time-to-first sale and consistently exceed pl
an.
Professional Experience
Senior Director of Marketing Programs, Genworth Financial, 7/06-4/10
Genworth is a Fortune 500 financial services and insurance company with more tha
n 15MM customers worldwide
*Promoted to lead new product and service launches and promotions, creative serv
ices, marketing operations and trafficking, sales communications, electronic mar
keting, print, fulfillment and forms development for annuities, life and long-te
rm care as well as ancillary businesses including wealth management, Medicare Su
pplement and professional services; developed and managed a team of 35 FTEs, 15+
contractors, three creative agencies and four print and fulfillment vendors; de
creased time-to-market by +20%; drove 15% or more ROI on targeted campaigns and
deliverables; reduced "not in good order" forms up to 85%; and leveraged consume
r segmentation and primary research to target and develop relevant, impactful an
d cost-effective collateral and integrated marketing programs.
*Formulated strategies and tactical plans to refine positioning, messaging and e
xecution of program deliverables across the value chain, decreasing time-to-firs
t-sale by at least 9%; developed and implemented turn-key campaigns to simplify
and streamline the commercialization process resulting in 17% faster growth; cre
ated a proprietary marketing operations workflow system (patent pending) that re
duced the time it took to process jobs by 43% minimizing costs and increasing th
e accuracy of documentation allowing us to achieve six sigma compliance results.
*Led development of the e-marketing and communications strategies that increased
click-through rates by 21%, exceeding industry standards; implemented a subscri
ption-based service to improve the distributor experience and drive organic grow
th; created an integrated and interactive modular toolkit to improve customer lo
yalty and drive repeat business by a minimum of 23%; consistently realized $4MM
returns on $400 spends per program.
*Analyzed and reengineered the commercialization process resulting in a 30% decr
ease in go-to-market times on both creative deliverables as well as required com
pliance and print and fulfillment processes; delivered the company's first fully
integrated marketing campaign calendar; conceived and developed the correspondi
ng implementation strategies (roadmaps) that allowed sales representatives and d
istribution partners to fully leverage training and marketing materials locally;
combined, these activities grew distributor adoption 11% during their first yea
r in-market.
*Developed and managed the creative process for advertisements, targeted co-bran
ded campaigns, product launches and promotions to identify and increase new, cro
ss and up-sales opportunities; created concierge and direct marketing programs f
or strategic partners that resulted in an increase of 17% in target premium grow
th YOY.
*Conceived of and executed strategic marketing positioning for the business; max
imized public relations opportunities and industry awareness through board membe
rships, executive roles and industry placements generating a minimum of 500k com
plementary impressions per placement; developed message maps for key projects to
establish a consistent tone and voice, convert relevant features into salient b
enefits, ensure alignment and strategically cross-promote targeted products and
services; interpreted and applied consumer analytics and segmentation insights t
o deliver the right message to the right customers in the right way at the right
time.
Client Services Manager, Regence BlueShield, 8/05-6/06
Regence is part of The Regence Group, an insurer with more than 3.25 million pol
icyholders in OR and WA
*Articulated the communications strategy necessary to implement new network and
marketing protocols for Boeing, the company's largest account, representing $1B
in annual revenue; developed message maps and customized collateral for key stak
eholder groups including providers, employee benefit decision-makers and members
.
*Developed account-specific plans as well as the overarching marketing account m
anagement strategy; translated specific product features into tangible benefits
for each of the key market segments; capitalized on these deliverables by creati
ng and managing to an integrated marketing communications plan.
*Championed and conducted usability testing on marketing materials from proof of
concept through launch enabling real time modifications and savings in excess o
f $100k on print and fulfillment charges per quarter.
*Managed the client and consultant sales and marketing communications relationsh
ips; identified and executed strategic account management programs and initiativ
es; authored and drove the ongoing communications strategy.
Branding Communications and Promotions Manager, Bankers Life and Casualty Compan
y, 3/04-8/05
Bankers is a Chicago-based insurer with more than 1.25 million policyholders nat
ionwide
*Promoted to manage product launch, training, marketing and promotional communic
ations for Bankers' policyholders, producers and distributors; developed and imp
lemented an integrated communications plan (print, electronic and interactive) y
ielding a 10% decrease in time-to-market; created the overarching communications
strategy, value proposition, messaging, training materials, product and promoti
onal content necessary for sales to consistently exceed plan; launched and produ
ced a TV-based training program that allowed for simultaneous product launches,
promotions and training events, reducing commercialization costs by 27% and decr
easing time-to-first sale +34%.
*Implemented a new brand management strategy to increase internal awareness, dri
ve recruiting and facilitate repositioning in key market segments; developed and
evolved brand standards (look, feel, voice, tone and architecture); rebuilt and
managed the department through cross-functional needs analysis and process reen
gineering resulting in a new staffing model that saved more than $125k per quart
er in production, delivery and distribution costs.
Senior Web Editor and Marketing Project Manager, Premera Blue Cross, 10/00-8/03
Premera is one of the largest health insurers in the Northwest with more than 1.
3MM members in WA alone
*Managed the company's online presence, building brand equity through deep custo
mer knowledge, compelling copy, consistent use of voice, tone and messaging and
thorough testing and measurement of creative deliverables; drove all Web-based c
reative processes and services across internal and external distributional chann
els for static and transactional content (push and pull); built and implemented
the company's style guide; acted as an internal consultant to facilitate copywri
ting and Web site development; conducted focus groups to evaluate creative conce
pts, conduct usability testing and identify business growth opportunities; devel
oped, tested and delivered both online content as well as interactive sales tool
s and calculators; saved more than $90k per Web site redesign in content creatio
n, production and delivery costs.
*Conceived, developed and delivered the value proposition, messaging and marketi
ng strategy necessary to launch the company's next generation of modular health
care products and services; work products included collateral (print and electro
nic), Web content, training materials, toolkits, PR and sales support required t
o surpass first year targets.
Managed Care Communications Lead, First Choice Health Network, 11/97-10/00
First Choice is the largest preferred provider network (PPO) in the Northwest
*Created and implemented the company's communications strategy and tactical plan
including its mission statement, value proposition, collateral strategy and arc
hitecture, marketing work products, promotional materials and partner and board
presentations; developed the company's first modular toolkits and interactive ma
rketing material suite.
*Managed PR issues and responses; prepared provider presentations, wrote case st
udies, developed white papers, created positioning statements and identified mar
ket opportunities; created new marketing portfolios and collateral through succe
ssful interface with the provider community, senior management and research part
ners and through interpretation and application of relevant business, creative a
nd market intelligence.
Clinical Research Associate, Virginia Mason Medical Center, 2/96-4/98
Virginia Mason is a Seattle-based provider organization and teaching hospital
*Analyzed and evaluated the communications practices of providers specializing i
n high-risk populations; leveraged findings to improve training materials and me
ssaging to mitigate both patient and provider risk; wrote, tested and subsequent
ly facilitated patients' access to customized support programs and educational m
aterials.
*Conducted primary and secondary communications research on effective techniques
(verbal, non-verbal, written and graphical) when communicating complex, technic
al information; incorporated findings to increase the likelihood that informatio
n was understood, helpful associations were formed and action was taken if indic
ated.
Clinical Coordinator, Planned Parenthood, 7/94-10/96
Planned Parenthood is one of the largest national providers of healthcare for wo
men
*Developed strategic communications including patient education, advertising, ar
ticles, talking points and other marketing communications deliverables to influe
nce opinions, facilitate stakeholder education and drive contributions.
*Counseled patients prior to testing; provided patient education; managed the cl
inical schedule and coordinated nurse practitioner coverage; supervised and trai
ned the volunteer staff.
Education and Service
*MA, Organizational Leadership and Development, Gonzaga University, 2008
*BA, Mass Media & Communications/Psychology (Double Major), Douglass College at
Rutgers University, 1994
*Certificate in Servant Leadership, Gonzaga University, 2007
*NAILBA Communications Chairperson and Editorial Co-Chairperson, 2007 and 2008