Press Releases
ATLANTA – July 17, 2013 – As part of a transformative reorganization effort designed to save even more lives from cancer, the American Cancer Society has added a Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer (CRMO) to its professional staff leadership, naming veteran sales and marketing executive Lin MacMaster to the seminal post.
In this newly created role, MacMaster will provide strategic leadership to grow the fundraising portfolio of the nation’s largest voluntary health organization, while simultaneously guiding strategic efforts to ensure brand relevance to new and existing supporters.
“We know more about how to fight cancer than ever before, but the successful application of that knowledge is dependent on our ability to make a sustainable connection with the partners who fuel our mission,” said Gregory P. Bontrager, the Society’s president and chief operating officer. “Our efforts to save lives and change the course of cancer demand the depth and breadth of data driven and customer-focused knowledge and experience that Lin brings to the table and we are excited to add her to our leadership team.”
MacMaster, a cancer survivor, brings more than 25 years of experience in revenue growth, brand development, acquisition and retention marketing, qualitative and quantitative research, and data analytics. Throughout her career, she has specifically pioneered methods to incorporate consumer motivation with data analytics to enhance ROI for a number of major private and nonprofit organizations, finding new ways to create sustained revenue streams and building brands.
“As a marketer, I never really envisioned that I’d play a significant role in ending cancer; I left that up to the medical and scientific experts,” said MacMaster. “In fact, I probably never even really seriously considered the prospect until faced with my own cancer diagnosis. But the landscape has changed and the cancer fight is also inextricably linked to successful consumer engagement in the face of increased competition for dollars and mindshare, making this opportunity both professionally challenging and personally motivating.”
MacMaster joins the Society after most recently having served as vice president and chief marketing officer of OptumHealth, a division of Optum, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary and the nation’s largest health services business. She previously led all marketing efforts at the Washington, D.C.-based American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) as senior managing director of member experience.
Prior to joining OptumHealth, MacMaster served as vice president and chief marketing officer of Group Health in Seattle, Washington. During that time, MacMaster was responsible for building long term brand and product strategies in light of healthcare reform, and she pioneered methodology to blend consumer motivation with data analysis to increase the ROI on direct response programs. Previously in the private sector, MacMaster founded an information-based Washington, D.C., marketing communications consulting firm – Strategic Partners Group, Inc. The firm specialized in building brands through the strategic use of customer information.
MacMaster’s clients at Strategic Partners Group, Inc. included Fortune 100 companies such as Coca-Cola, Disney, Fannie Mae, Verizon, AT&T, MCI, and General Motors. Lin helped conceptualize metrics for special event and sponsorship marketing for Disney and the Coca-Cola Company and she created brand-aligned sponsorship strategy and activation of sponsorship activities to drive business. She also helped develop brand strategy and brand repositioning for Buick and its LeSabre model, the Democratic Leadership Council, Women’s Funding Network, and the Washington Area Women’s Foundation.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers saving lives and fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society's efforts have contributed to a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. Thanks in part to our progress nearly 14 million Americans who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will celebrate more birthdays this year. As we mark our 100th birthday in 2013, we're determined to finish the fight against cancer. We're finding cures as the nation’s largest private, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings, clean air, and more. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
To request a photo, please contact Claire Greenwell at claire.greenwell@cancer.org.