MAHF: View from the Top

 

Executives from leading healthcare communications agencies and networks came together on July 18th at the headquarters of Ogilvy Worldwide in New York City for the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame’s (MAHF) “View from the Top” event. Young professionals from the healthcare advertising industry were invited to hear first-hand from CEOs, presidents, and other management on what it takes to be a leader. 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the MAHF and the fourth annual edition of View from the Top.

“In this business you learn from everyone you collaborate with along the way – from all levels and backgrounds,” says Louis Massaia, executive VP and creative director of Saatchi and Saatchi Wellness. “The View from the Top event allowed for a concentrated dose of open and honest sharing of experiences. I believe it served as an invaluable tool for future leaders and current ones alike.”

As dinner and cocktails were served, Robert Palmer – MAHF chairperson and executive VP and managing director of JUICE Pharma Worldwide – kicked off the evening’s festivities. “The mission of the MAHF is to document the history of the industry and to provide educational opportunities to a new generation of leaders like many of you. Each year we have a black-tie awards dinner at the Pierre Hotel in New York, and at that dinner we honor retired men and women who have made significant contributions to the medical advertising field. We also honor great creative work and campaigns – print, mass media, digital – with our Heritage Awards. Equally important to all of that, we work to attract next-generation talent with our Future Famers program. Tonight is one example of our outreach to young professionals.

“There is no one size fits all when it comes to being an effective leader, so it is very appropriate that we have such a diverse group here tonight,” Palmer said.

Following Palmer’s opening remarks, a panel discussion was moderated by Sharon Callahan, CEO of TBWA\WorldHealth. The panelists were Massaia; Matt Giegerich, chairman and CEO of Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide; and Steve Nothel, partner and chief client service officer of H4B Chelsea. Callahan posed a series of interesting and thought-provoking questions to the panel of industry experts.

“We are here to talk about what it takes to be an effective leader in our industry, and that is giving back,” Callahan remarked upon her introduction to the crowd of advertising professionals. “What you see here tonight are leaders from across the industry, and each and every one of them is dedicated to giving back. They are not just trying to build their own careers, but to build your career as well. We are here to find out about people’s stories and what it takes to be successful.”

Upon being asked why healthcare advertising became the focus for his career, Giegerich noted, “ … On balance, the ability to point to the context of health and humanity in this specific day and age, actually launching cures to diseases that afflict millions, it really is a noble thing. We do not save lives every day as an advertising industry, but you can track your work to an outcome in this industry that is unlike others where you can say, ‘Well we did this, I was the writer on that campaign that educated physicians about this new mechanism that treats this and these people suffered less as a result of that effort that I put into it,’ and that is a really rewarding part of this business and it always has been for me.”

In discussing mentors, Nothel noted, “The person I think back on as a mentor, when I was working with him and the lessons he taught me that I use a lot now, is Al Nickel [2012 MAHF inductee]. Al did a fantastic job, not only running the agency as a business person, but also it was about the people. If you were with Al, he cared about what you were doing and what was going on with your family. … We are in a people business and that is what it is all about. Giving people the opportunity to be heard as a leader, as someone within your organization who is really important, and to be able to give guidance. So Al was a great guy, and he did a lot for a lot of people. He did a lot for me, and now I do a lot of the things that I learned from him.

Callahan added, “Al was certainly a mentor of mine too. When I took over his agency as CEO, one thing he said to me was, ‘You have to love the people who you work with, each and every one of them.’ That has really stayed with me, and you felt it from him. He had an amazing skill and quality.”

After the conclusion of the panel discussion, each dinner table included an industry leader who led a roundtable discussion with their younger counterparts to discuss past experiences and future opportunities. The informal lively discussion with senior leadership resulted in a fun and interesting free-forum discussion.

“The transition from the panel session to the roundtable discussion was unique in that it helped fuel an open discussion,” Massaia mentioned. “Nobody seemed to hold back on asking questions that were important to their current situation and that happened because the stage was set prior. The roundtable was unguarded and free-flowing, the ideal way collaborative learning should take place.”

The roundtable participants in addition to Palmer, Callahan, Giegerich, Nothel and Massaia included: Ken Begasse Jr. – founder and COO, Concentric Health Experience; Jay Carter – senior VP, director of strategy services, AbelsonTaylor; Mike Devlin – executive VP, creative director, FCB Health; Louisa Holland – co-CEO, the Americas, Sudler & Hennessey; Jennifer Matthews – president and managing partner, The Bloc; Lois Moran – president and CEO, JUICE Pharma; Meaghan Onofrey – managing partner, TBWA\WorldHealth; Mike Parisi – managing partner, Ogilvy CommonHealth; Robin Roberts – executive VP, director of client services, DDB Health; and Adrian Sansone – executive VP, managing director, Digitas Health NY LifeBrands.

According to Holland, “We all understand why the View from the Top is such a great event for our younger staff – it is critically important that they have the opportunity to gain a broader perspective about our business and to hear from the industry leaders in a very human way. There is no posing or posturing at this event, and for that reason it has a lot of heart, and the younger staff can really feel that. This human connection – perhaps even warmth – is probably the most critical aspect of the evening. We strive for it at our agency all the time, and it rings true at this event.

“Almost just as important is the boost that we senior leaders get from the evening – we get the chance to connect not only with our peers but with a great mix of very earnest and smart young talent,” Holland continues. “They remind us not only of our pasts and the paths we’ve taken, but they also shine a bright light on the future of our business. And at the end of the evening, the day feels lighter because of them.”

According to Sansone, “The thoughtful discussions on career and life choices was a reminder of how we should care for and respect one another along our journey … important learnings that we should all share with others.” 

 

About the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame (MAHF)

The MAHF was founded in 1996 to:
• Document the history of the industry
• Honor the retired men and women who have made significant contributions to the medical advertising profession – MAHF Inductees
• Attract and honor next-generation talent to the medical advertising profession – Future Famers
• Honor industry creatives by recognizing great, retired campaigns – Heritage Awards.

MAHF membership is open to healthcare advertising agencies and publications, and currently consists of the leaders of nearly 40 agencies and publishing companies.

For more information, please visit www.mahf.com.