PORTLAND – Cambia Health Solutions has named Carol Kruse chief marketing officer where she will lead the company’s marketing, branding and digital strategies for its family of health plans. Headquartered in Portland, Ore., Cambia is comprised of more than 25 companies dedicated to transforming health care nationwide.
Kruse is a nationally-recognized global brand marketing expert with more than 20 years of experience leading consumer marketing for powerhouse brands at The Coca-Cola Company and ESPN, where she served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
“Carol is an accomplished leader who brings to Cambia an entrepreneurial spirit and wealth of experience with consumer-centric companies,” said Jared Short, president of Cambia Health Insurance Services. “Her background with large retail brands will be instrumental in helping us transform how we engage with our customers.”
“Many companies are talking about changing health care; Cambia is actually making headway with a long-term view on transforming health care to put the consumer in the center,” said Kruse. “I’m excited to join Cambia and help deliver game-changing health solutions to the marketplace.”
The chief marketing officer role is pivotal for Cambia’s health plans as the company works to create an effortless health care experience for consumers. At ESPN, Kruse was responsible for developing, managing and expanding the ESPN brands, including ESPN’s six television networks and an array of digital, mobile, radio, print, social and other products. Before joining ESPN, Kruse spent more than nine years leading digital marketing at The Coca-Cola Company, where she was focused on developing innovative ways to deliver targeted, relevant messaging and building engaging digital, mobile and social experiences.
She was most recently global CMO at Tough Mudder, where she helped enable the fitness events company to surpass $100 million in revenue and expand its footprint in seven countries. Kruse was recognized with the prestigious ad:tech Industry Achievement Award for pioneering contributions in digital marketing and was named to Fast Company’s 2011 annual list of the Top 100 Most Creative People in Business.
