About Us
We bring solutions to complex problems to unlock sustainable results.
We aim to help healthcare leaders and organizations accelerate growth with meaningful strategies that fuel success.
Achieve Better and More.
About Elizabeth Serena Sanford,
Executive Advisor
Elizabeth is a seasoned Strategic Executive Advisor and Consultant with deep expertise within the healthcare industry. She has a demonstrated track record in developing strategic business alliances, creating/executing successful go-to-market strategies, and building impactful customer advisory boards.
She founded Essential Strategic Solutions, an executive advising and consulting firm dedicated to partnering with organizations from emerging startups to Fortune 500 companies. Essential Strategic Solutions advises CEOs, Chief Growth Officers, and Executive leaders, prioritizing direct engagement with leadership teams to foster sustainable success.
Elizabeth excels in optimizing sales, shaping exceptional client experiences, defining effective lifecycle customer management, and facilitating tailored onboarding for Executive Sales Leaders, all to deliver tangible, sustainable outcomes. Throughout her career, Elizabeth has honed her skills as a healthcare executive leader, navigating the complexities of the ever-changing industry environment.
She has held various senior positions over her 30+ year career, spanning healthcare sales, account management, strategic partnerships, healthcare technology, and sustainable operating model development.
Most recently, Elizabeth served as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Aetna, a CVS Health Company, where she provided comprehensive leadership, strategy development, and relationship management for commercial distribution partners, including consultants, brokers, and general agents.
In this pivotal role, she ensured seamless alignment between distribution partners with the capabilities of CVS Health/Aetna, driving the growth and retention of their mutual clients. Before this, Elizabeth held the position of Senior Vice President, Health Plan Partnerships for Accolade and led Health Plan Sector and Sales and Account Management for Magellan Health. Her distinguished career also includes senior leadership roles at MEDecision and CIGNA.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Elizabeth is an active contributor to her community, dedicating her time to charitable and educational-related boards in the Philadelphia area. She is a graduate of Villanova University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and has completed studies in International Business at the London School of Economics.
