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 About this episode

In this episode, Chris speaks with Craig Riner, the Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer for Diversified Business Groups at Highmark Health. Craig talks about his journey of balancing his drive for success with collegiality and compassion. Watch to learn how to look beyond one’s self so that you can apply it to your life.

When Craig was in college he was unsure of the career he wanted to pursue. It wasn’t until his internship with MARC USA, an advertising agency, that he discovered his passion for marketing and public relations. From there he went on to work full-time at MARC USA where he found great success and a passion for the strategy side of marketing.

After a few years, he went to work as the Vice President of Marketing for Rite Aid where he eventually realized that he loved the work he was doing but wanted a more purpose-driven mission in his life. This brought him to his current position at Highmark Health where he helps create change in the healthcare industry and people take the next steps to become healthier.

Deeming himself a natural leader, he was faced with a difficult challenge when he found out he needed to improve his teamwork skills. He realized he needed to view his colleagues as teammates and change his competitive drive for his own success. To do this, he turned these vices into virtues.

He realized that the key to becoming a good leader is to help those around you succeed. Craig explained how he worked at having honest and heart-felt relationships with his colleagues which helped him know what his colleagues needed as opposed to his wants. Finally, Craig speaks on the difference between empathy and compassion and how that has helped him through this process.

Now, he joins us on the Virtuous Heroes Podcast to talk with us about his success and allow viewers to learn how to become a collegial and compassionate leader that continuously tries to find ways to improve.

More about our guest
Craig serves as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing for Highmark Health. Craig also serves as chief marketing officer for HM Insurance Group (HM) and leads the company’s strategic marketing initiatives. He is responsible for the executive leadership of HM’s Marketing & Communications team and developing and executing the brand positioning and market strategy for HM Insurance Group, as well as Highmark Health’s health plan, health system, and additional diversified businesses.

Craig has more than 25 years of experience in strategy, marketing, and public relations. He is a seasoned expert in driving innovation to improve overall customer experience, brand affinity, and lifetime customer value. Additional areas of expertise include brand strategy, performance marketing; customer insights and analytics; and digital experience and design.

Craig joined HM Insurance Group in the fall of 2021. He has been with Highmark Health since 2016 when he joined the organization as a vice president of strategic marketing. He was later promoted to senior vice president of strategic marketing role in 2018. Prior to joining Highmark Health, Craig served as the vice president of marketing for Rite Aid Corporation. He started his career at MARC USA, one of the largest full-service independent marketing and advertising firms in the country, where he spent a number of years servicing customers in the health care industry.

Craig earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Journalism from Duquesne University, where he is now acting as an Executive in Residence. In 2019, he completed The Wharton School’s Executive Education Certificate in Leadership and Transformation.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-riner-6427325/
https://www.highmarkhealth.org/hmk/index.shtml

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