Todd Hesse has joined Kaiser Permanente Washington as senior director of Strategic Accounts. Fred Armstrong, who’s played a major role in our large group growth and partnerships during the last 13 years, is retiring.
Our Strategic Accounts team is a group of account managers, territory managers, and support staff dedicated to building and executing growth strategies with our government customers, including PEBB (state), FEHB (federal), and the newly created School Employee Benefits Board (SEBB). SEBB consolidates school employee benefits under a single state pool in 2020.
Hesse’s health care and sales experience spans 20+ years
Hesse joined Kaiser Permanente in 2006 and most recently served as area vice president of national accounts on the West Coast. In that role he’s had overall responsibility for the growth and retention of 52 national account customers, including numerous customers that are either headquartered in, or with large employee bases, in Washington state. A few include Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Boeing, Nordstrom, and Starbucks. At Kaiser Permanente Washington, Hesse will spearhead efforts to establish and drive growth strategies for our public sector accounts.
Armstrong helped us form strong, lasting large group relationships
Armstrong’s decade-plus career with the organization includes creating and expanding our Strategic Accounts team to focus on some of our largest accounts, including the State of Washington and the federal government. His ability to synthesize complex issues and negotiate win-win solutions for our customers has been critical in helping us develop strong, lasting relationships with the Health Care Authority and some of the largest municipalities in Washington state. Armstrong’s easygoing manner, sharp wit, and integrity will be greatly missed as he moves to St. Louis to be close to his son, daughter, and grandchildren.