LAUREN GERSTNER
BROOKFIELD,WI
Summary
Sales-driven marketing executive with track record of enhancing national sales organizations through data-driven lead generation and customer engagement strategies. Proven ability to optimize go-to-market execution and drive revenue growth in regulated industries. Experienced in educating sales teams on effective client-facing tools and translating complex solutions into impactful value propositions. Strong communication skills and consultative selling instincts dedicated to driving growth through meaningful solutions.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Head of Marketing
MASSMUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE CO.
New York, NY
04.2021 - 05.2025
- Led the national marketing strategy supporting 63 firms and over 7,000 financial advisors, enhancing sales across protection and wealth management solutions.
- Drove lead gen program that increased lead volume by 30% and increased average sales conversion 4% points from 2022 to 2024.
- Delivered advisor-facing digital enablement strategy with up-skilling programs, resulting in a 46% increase in social monthly active users and a 58% rise in email monthly active users.
- Optimized advisor recruitment digital activation strategy that boosted the application completion rate by 20%, generating 2,500 total applications in 2024.
- Leveraged data science partnership to deliver high propensity conversion opportunities for cross-sell and up-sell, improving client retention and balance across protection and wealth solutions.
VP, Performance Marketing
NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE CO.
New York, NY
12.2019 - 03.2021
- Led the execution and optimization of an integrated brand marketing strategy across digital paid media, email/CRM, and direct mail channels to drive lead generation, client retention, and agent recruitment goals.
- Delivered 123,000 leads to agents, offsetting the prospecting challenges of COVID, yielding $21.1M in premium.
- Drove cost per lead down 9.8% YoY via strategic media planning, enhancing audience targeting, and connected, full-funnel journeys.
- Improved in-target leads (categorized by Claritas Family and Mature Affluent segments) by +5% YoY, leveraging media suppression and look-alike targeting tactics.
Director, Global Digital Marketing Transformation
HP INC.
Houston, TX
03.2019 - 11.2019
- Led digital marketing transformation initiatives to drive strategic alignment of resources across country marketing teams, and global centers of excellence.
- Supported local teams with data-driven marketing activation design and execution for B2B and B2C audiences.
- Led global education programs to build awareness and adoption of strategic platforms, data sources, and agency partnerships in order to foster an organizational shift towards performance marketing.
Director, EMEA Consumer Marketing - Personal Systems
HP INC.
Geneva, Switzerland
03.2018 - 03.2019
- Contributed to revenue growth of 22% year-over-year, and annual market share growth by 3.6 percentage points, by shifting the marketing strategy towards high-margin business opportunities.
- Increased marketing effectiveness by 120% year-over-year in the top three EMEA markets (Germany, France, and the UK) by leveraging Media Mix Modeling and increasing emphasis on digital channels.
- Realized a 150% lift in visits to website, and an 80% lift in add-to-cart actions via hyper-targeted activation to consumers with a high propensity to buy. The campaign was scaled across 10 markets.
Director, Global Social Media Marketing
HP INC.
Palo Alto, CA
09.2016 - 02.2018
- Created and executed global operational framework inclusive of resourcing & hiring, formalized workflows, platform & tool selection, and organizational governance.
- Reduced production costs 10% by leveraging centralized content management system to optimize discovery and distribution.
- Reduced operational costs 20% while cutting the time to publish in half by eliminating dependency on outside agencies.
Director, Digital Marketing
H&R BLOCK
Kansas City, MO
07.2015 - 09.2016
- Developed and executed comprehensive brand social strategy to enhance client acquisition and retention.
- Managed social agency and vendor partnerships to ensure effective campaign implementation.
- Enhanced consistency in messaging for products, promotions, and tax professional services.
Senior Consultant, Digital Marketing
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL
Milwaukee, WI
07.2013 - 07.2015
- Established a comprehensive social marketing strategy, boosting advisor adoption by 60% across Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams throughout the organization to ensure alignment of objectives.
Multiple Roles
NOKIA
New York, NY
09.2007 - 06.2012
- Advanced through roles at Nokia from 2007 to 2010 gaining global experience in Corporate Communications, PR, Digital Marketing, and Analytics.
Education
MBA - Business Administration
Imperial College London
London, England04-2018
Bachelor of Arts - Communications
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Madison, WI05-2007
Skills
- Go-to-market strategy
- Lead generation and customer acquisition
- Performance marketing and digital advertising
- Cross-functional team leadership
- Communications and presentation
- Customer relationship management
Thought Leadership
YEXT Annual Marketing Summit, Breakout Speaker, New York, NY 2025
Hearsay Social Annual Summit, Executive Panel, New York, NY 2024
Keynote Speaker, Global PR Summit, New York, NY 2018
Panelist, Corporate Social Media Summit, New York, NY 2016 & 2017
Featured in LinkedIn Peers on Point Series-Next Generation Community Management- How HP Tackles Social Media2.0, 2017
Panelist, Future of Social Sales & Marketing in Financial Services, Chicago, IL 2015
Timeline
Head of Marketing
MASSMUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE CO.
04.2021 - 05.2025
VP, Performance Marketing
NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE CO.
12.2019 - 03.2021
Director, Global Digital Marketing Transformation
HP INC.
03.2019 - 11.2019
Director, EMEA Consumer Marketing - Personal Systems
HP INC.
03.2018 - 03.2019
Director, Global Social Media Marketing
HP INC.
09.2016 - 02.2018
Director, Digital Marketing
H&R BLOCK
07.2015 - 09.2016
Senior Consultant, Digital Marketing
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL
07.2013 - 07.2015
Multiple Roles
NOKIA
09.2007 - 06.2012
MBA - Business Administration
Imperial College London
Bachelor of Arts - Communications
University of Wisconsin, Madison