Marina Bigsby is the Chief Customer Experience Officer at AccessOne, a tech-enabled, patient financing company aiming to lift the burden of healthcare affordability by helping providers offer patient-friendly payment plans. In this role, she leads all business areas that affect the customer experience, including Product (vision and execution), Analytics, Patient Operations, Client Onboarding, and Client Relationship Management organizations.

Marina has roots in the payments industry, serving as a leader at First Data, Inc. (now Fiserv) for nearly 15 years. Marina leads innovation by creating information and analytics software products, as well as by designing and executing service models that enhance the customer experience and help companies meet their revenue retention and growth goals.

How did you become a leader in healthcare? Was healthcare always something you were interested in?

As a child, my dream was to be a doctor, but that wasn’t in my stars. I landed in sales and grew into a corporate business leader. I began in the payments industry, working with national banks in the merchant acquiring/card processing business. Although I had a wonderful career there, I got to a point in life where the ‘moving money’ business was just not fulfilling on a personal level. I wanted to be in a career where I could use my skill set to help people.

It was my network that helped my transition. A leader I worked for had since moved into healthcare and recruited me as a product leader at ConnectYourCare. Health Savings Accounts operate similarly to card processing in concept, so building a suite of software solutions in this space was an entry point into healthcare fintech. Since then, I’ve been able to find fulfillment in helping people through the deep link that financial health has with personal health.

When you first joined AccessOne, you built the company’s Product business unit and culture from the ground up. Can you tell us a little about that experience?

Product is a culture and a methodology. I know what great looks like and I simply had to build to that vision. Product is about listening to the market and understanding problems in everyday life, then creating solutions that excite people because you’re making their lives easier. It’s about building a solid, fully tested product, while also ensuring your teams are both operationally and commercially ready. I brought this to AccessOne as lessons, as drawings, as town hall sessions, and as incremental steps to building a necessary collaborative culture.

What is especially wonderful at AccessOne is that we’re building products that help patients afford healthcare and we’re helping healthcare providers collect more payments so they can serve more people in their communities. In this chapter of my career, I learned what I had hoped for: that I can indeed use my business skillset to positively impact people’s lives.

You’re a self-described “intrepreneur”–someone who brings an entrepreneurial mindset to a larger organization. How does this perspective influence your approach to decision-making, both as an executive and as a leader?

I’m a self-described “intrepreneur” because Product isn’t the first organization I’ve built from what started as an idea. I’ve also built a 100-person cross-sales organization with $30 million annual sales targets, as well as a multi-level service organization of 80 people responsible for the growth and retention of a $700+ million portfolio.

My approach is to keep things simple and to envision a path to the strategic end goal as a puzzle. My saying is, “We’re running a lemonade stand. We can sell more lemonade or get cheaper lemons, but don’t let the noise of the day-to-day get in the way of getting more customers lemonade on a hot day.” It’s silly, but it’s an analogy I’ve used across my career to help my teams understand how to break down complex subject matter into the most basic business priorities, so every person is marching towards the same goal. As a leader, it’s my role to help every team member understand the importance of their participation and how every puzzle piece is needed to deliver outcomes that excite customers and drive the business forward.

Reflecting on your time as a WBL member so far, what does being a part of our network mean to you?

Authenticity. I’ve been in other professional networks and have not found one like WBL. Every member is so open and willing to help you. It’s a group of women who are so admirable and strong, and most importantly, willing to show their vulnerabilities. 

When I attended the WBL Board Program, I was a bit nervous, knowing I’d be with extremely accomplished and highly educated women. During the first roundtable, a fellow member brought up imposter syndrome, and all of the ladies chimed in – so openly, and then immediately moved into ‘how can we help you’ mode. I’m a huge believer in transparency being the key to forward movement. WBL provides an environment where we can be open and grow together.

Personally or professionally, what might the WBL network be surprised to know about you?

I believe in living life. That means not waiting for retirement to do the things that excite you. Go find adventure, try new foods, explore new places, try new and scary things, and find appreciation in every day – laugh with your spouse and kids, smile at the stars. Just appreciate what you have now, because every day is a gift.