Christopher Cotton
Columbus,OH
Summary
Dynamic Senior Product and Digital Strategy leader with a proven track record of driving measurable growth through customer-centric innovation, data-driven strategies, and effective cross-functional execution. Expertise in strategic product management and digital marketing, with a consistent focus on building and optimizing enterprise-level digital ecosystems that align business objectives with user needs. Proficient in defining product roadmaps and leveraging market insights, analytics, and financial modeling to inform investment decisions, accelerate adoption, and enhance customer engagement. Recognized for reliability, adaptability, and a proactive approach to problem-solving, dedicated to fostering team success and contributing to organizational growth.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Digital Marketing & eCommerce Strategy
CAS (a division of the American Chemical Society)
03.2019 - 10.2025
- Established the direct business (eCommerce) channel, managing the full product roadmap and execution for CAS's flagship digital product (CAS SciFinder).
- Delivered CAS's first direct eCommerce platform ahead of schedule, enabling 24/7 self-service product purchase and onboarding, addressing a $22M market opportunity.
- Partnered with Product, IT, Sales, and Finance to align roadmap milestones, feature prioritization, and user experience enhancements across global markets delivering 2 months ahead of schedule.
- Defined KPI scorecards and implemented data dashboards to track acquisition, retention, and conversion metrics, informing investment and optimization decisions.
- Built and refined customer personas, journey maps, and market forecasts using 1st- and 3rd-party data to guide product development and marketing automation strategy.
- Championed innovation in digital user experience, integrating personalized recommendations and automated nurture flows that improved conversion and onboarding efficiency.
- Developed strategic initiatives to enhance operational efficiency across multiple departments.
- Led cross-functional teams to implement process improvements and drive organizational goals.
Sr. Director, Make Safe Happen Program
Nationwide Insurance
01.2014 - 01.2018
- Led product development, launch, and continuous improvement of the Make Safe Happen content platform, local activations, and mobile app, created in partnership with Nationwide Children's Hospital.
- Directed end-to-end delivery of the Make Safe Happen mobile app, safety learning platform, and coordinating cross-functional teams spanning Product, Marketing, Technology, and Compliance.
- Defined product roadmap, feature requirements, and rollout strategy for digital learning modules and home safety experiences, achieving 150K+ app downloads and over 20M measurable increases in family engagement.
- Developed multi-channel campaign activations that drove double-digit gains in awareness and participation across target households.
- Managed internal and agency partners to ensure product delivery met compliance, usability, and scalability standards across platforms.
- Partnered with analytics teams to measure impact and identify adoption barriers, applying insights to drive continuous feature and content improvement.
- Led cross-functional teams to develop and implement strategic initiatives that enhanced operational efficiency.
- Analyzed market trends to inform product development and drive competitive positioning strategies.
Sr. Director, Digital Marketing Promotions & Channel Enablement
Nationwide Insurance
01.1997 - 01.2014
- Directed enterprise and field-level digital marketing programs supporting both direct-to-consumer and agent distribution channels.
- Orchestrated omnichannel campaign execution, compliance integration, and local market activation to drive household growth and engagement.
- Unified Nationwide's local agent digital footprint across 2,500+ agencies through a FINRA-compliant digital platform (Hearsay Social), enabling agents to manage branded websites, social media, and community outreach.
- Directed integrated marketing campaigns across SEM, Content Marketing, Display, and Automation programs for both the direct and agency channels, aligning creative, analytics, and budget priorities.
- Partnered with Legal and Compliance to automate FINRA review workflows, reducing cycle time by 40% while maintaining full regulatory adherence.
- Championed analytics-driven marketing performance dashboards linking awareness, engagement, and conversion KPIs.
- Recognized for bridging corporate, digital, and field marketing to align strategy, execution, and measurement across business units.
Various Roles (Earlier Career)
Fidelity Investments & Huntington Bank
- Gained foundational expertise in financial services marketing, customer experience, and consultative selling-establishing a data-driven, customer-first foundation for enterprise marketing strategy.
Education
B.S. - Marketing
Franklin University
Columbus, OH01.2016
Marketing & Communications
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH01.1994
Skills
- Product Roadmap Development
- Customer Acquisition & Retention
- Go-to-Market Strategy
- ECommerce Enablement
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Analytics & KPI Design
- Financial Forecasting
- Regulatory & Compliance Alignment
- Omnichannel Experience
- Agile Product Delivery
- Data analysis
- Software development
- Project management
- Customer service
- Agile methodologies
Timeline
Director, Digital Marketing & eCommerce Strategy
CAS (a division of the American Chemical Society)
03.2019 - 10.2025
Sr. Director, Make Safe Happen Program
Nationwide Insurance
01.2014 - 01.2018
Sr. Director, Digital Marketing Promotions & Channel Enablement
Nationwide Insurance
01.1997 - 01.2014
Marketing & Communications
The Ohio State University
Various Roles (Earlier Career)
Fidelity Investments & Huntington Bank
B.S. - Marketing
Franklin University
Professional Development
- Account-Based Marketing Certification
- HubSpot Marketing Automation
- Change Management Practitioner