Scott Root

About Scott Root

A few years ago, I ran into an old friend who had just begun the journey of supporting her parents as her mother faced dementia. I found myself was traveling the same paths in elder care with my own parents and felt thankful to able to offer my friend some help. Working in product development for Aetna, I was knowledgeable about products that could cover some of her needs. That day, I was able to do direct good by educating someone else on a product that could make their path easier. It’s why I do what I do. I am driven by deep personal experience to take care of people the way we all want to be taken care of.Over my 17+ year career at Aetna, where I now serve as Lead Director of Product Management and Development, I’ve been proud to build and better healthcare products and processes that have done right by both those who use and those who hold our policies. I relay the first-hand stories that hit home, connecting the dots between metric data and people’s real needs. My expertise in end-to-end full product lifecycles, responsible P&L management, customer service, competitive intelligence, and team building supported by a highly data-centric technical approach allows me to strike a new path and bring people the results they most need.Some of my career successes include: Influencing C-suite leaders and key stakeholders to pilot and prioritize Medicare Supplement Plan G early in my career. Now Plan G is the most popular plan industry-wide. Driving +500% revenue growth over the 7 years I have led Product while at Aetna. Cutting end-to-end product timelines from years to 550 man-hours per year. Being repeatedly invited to speak at Strategy and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) conferences in 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2020/2021 in addition to serving as a former advisory board member. Authoring a regular column in Pacesetter, a monthly publication distributed to >200K sales agents nationally, for the past 17+ years.Prior to Aetna, I got my start in healthcare as a Competitive Intelligence Analyst at Genworth Financial and AvMed Health Plans after earning my MBA from the University of Florida and working at Booz Allen Hamilton as a consultant. I am always open to discuss how businesses or individuals may move forward and grow. Reach out and connect with me.

Experience

1. Lead Director, Product Management Development

   Aetna, A Cvs Health Company

   Feb 2022 — Present

   I was promoted to the role of Lead Director of Product Management/Development at Aetna to advise executive leaders and head end-to-end product lifecycle and go-to-market strategy, including regulatory compliance, marketing, team building, and training. I’ve developed and actively manage 6 key products as part of my portfolio: Hospital Indemnity; Dental, Vison & Hearing (DVH); Critical Illness; Recovery Care, Home Care, and Final Expense. My team consists of approximately 50 individuals across our project management office (PMO), regulatory, marketing, and business support teams. SELECTED RESULTS GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY: Exceeded first 4-month projected sales by 150% strategizing the launch of a highly-customizable new combined Dental, Vision, and Hearing (DVH) product. PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: Sped time-to-market for a product by eliminating $500 increments from our latest DVH offering. CROSS-SELLING SUCCESSES: Outperformed Aetna’s historical policy cross-sell metrics by 2.5x with new DVH product by designing and instituting a new multi-policy discount.

Education

• University of Florida - Warrington College of Business

  Master of Business Administration (MBA), Marketing, Management & International Studies

• James Madison University

  Bachelor of Business Administration - BBA, Marketing

Skills

• Process Improvement
• Management
• Marketing
• Powerpoint
• Outlook
• Microsoft Office
• Sales
• Business Intelligence
• Excel
• Healthcare
• Analytics
• Business Strategy
• Forecasting
• Word
• Program Management
• Leadership
• Insurance
• Strategy
• Product Development
• Analysis
• New Business Development
• Market Research
• Marketing Research
• Database Management
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Competitive Intelligence
• Marketing Strategy
• Consulting
• Data Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Segmentation
• Competitive Analysis
• Market Analysis
• Contract Negotiation
• Project Management
• Ms Project
• Product Management
• Access
• Business Analysis