Bill McEllen named global president of Fingerpaint

Bill McEllen named global president of Fingerpaint

Fingerpaint in December appointed Bill McEllen as global president. McEllen, a 30-year industry veteran, became responsible for overseeing the company’s integrated business units, including 1798, Leaderboard Branding, Engage, MedThink, and Fingerpaint Marketing, as well as its more than 700 worldwide employees.

A Fingerpaint partner, McEllen will continue to build on the exponential year-over-year growth the company has experienced, set in motion by Fingerpaint founder Ed Mitzen, who now serves as Fingerpaint’s chairman and CEO. Management says this move will allow Mitzen to continue focusing on growing the company’s capabilities through acquisitions. McEllen reports to Mitzen.

Mark Willmann, who serves on Fingerpaint’s executive leadership team, was promoted to head of Fingerpaint Marketing, which has physical locations in Arizona, New Jersey, Northern California, and Pennsylvania in addition to its Saratoga Springs, New York, headquarters. Tracy Blackwell was promoted to head of Fingerpaint Marketing’s Cedar Knolls office, a position previously held by Willmann.

“Bill’s experience and extensive understanding of the global challenges faced by the evolving biopharma landscape make him a natural fit to lead the company while staying true to the foundation Fingerpaint was built on,” Mitzen says. “Our people and our clients will continue to benefit from his forward-thinking approach.”

McEllen has been a biopharma commercialization leader for 30 years on both the client and agency side. Since joining Fingerpaint in 2016, McEllen has held a number of executive leadership positions, most recently as the head of all Fingerpaint full-service agencies. Under his leadership, his team has garnered five Agency of the Year awards in the last five years.

“I am humbled and excited to be stepping into this new role at such a pivotal time in the biopharma industry – and for our company,” McEllen says. “Our innovative commercialization capabilities help create solutions that transform beliefs, behavior, and performance and, ultimately, mean better outcomes for patients.”

Since joining Fingerpaint in 2018, Willmann has played a significant role in the creation and expansion of Fingerpaint’s full-service agency offerings. Willmann’s leadership helped drive revenue and growth for the Cedar Knolls office, doubling its size for three consecutive years. Prior to joining Fingerpaint, he spent 15 years at McCann Health, leading the New Jersey and San Francisco offices. Before working in healthcare marketing, Willmann spent seven years leading drug development in infectious disease and women’s health.

“Mark’s thorough grasp of the therapeutic life cycle, from the lab to the patient, combined with his extensive knowledge of optimizing the commercialization process for brand success positions him best to lead our full-service agency business,” McEllen says. “His driven nature and people-first approach will continue to take our teams to the next level.”

“I am looking forward to providing innovative solutions to our clients’ most pressing challenges, inspiring our people to dream up and produce ideas that future-proof our offerings,” says Willmann, who reports to McEllen.

Blackwell has a 30-year track record of delivering award-winning creative solutions for biopharma clients while serving in various creative, strategic, and client service leadership roles. Part of the team that helped build the Cedar Knolls office, she has extensive experience in identifying, launching, and growing Fingerpaint’s capabilities and has been critical to clients’ success since joining the company in 2017. She reports to Willmann.

“Tracy has a proven ability to do the right thing for our people, our clients, and their brands,” Willmann says. “She is a true partner who has always been dedicated to excellence.”

According to Blackwell, “I am honored to step into this new role and can’t wait to continue to grow our talented team. They are drawn to our people-first culture, which inspires incredible work and business solutions for our client partners.”

McEllen discussed his elevated role to president and what Fingerpaint has in store moving forward.

Med Ad News: What are you hoping to bring to the table, so to speak?

Bill McEllen: In 2022, you will see it’s an exciting time at Fingerpaint and in the biopharma industry. At Fingerpaint, we have experienced exponential growth in all areas, from capabilities and talent to geographical reach. At the same time, the purpose of our industry—getting therapies to those who need them the most—could not be more important.

I began my career on the client side, so I have a deep understanding of the global challenges biopharma companies face at every step of the commercialization process. And it has become more challenging through the years. Providing performance-proven solutions rooted in data to reach a positive outcome is something Fingerpaint can provide by tapping into our integrated firms.

Med Ad News: Have you taken over the day-to-day running of things from Ed Mitzen? How have your duties changed?

Bill McEllen: As global president, I am overseeing all of the company’s integrated business units, including 1798, Engage, Fingerpaint Marketing, Leaderboard Branding, MedThink, and Photo 51, as well as our almost 800 worldwide employees.

It is critical that we continue building upon Fingerpaint’s year-over-year growth and providing the best-in-class services our clients have come to expect, while also holding on to the people-first foundation we were built on.

Ed will remain an integral part of Fingerpaint. As our chairman and CEO, Ed will be able to continue focusing on growing our capabilities through acquisitions.

Med Ad News: What are your predictions for Fingerpaint in 2022? What particular goals would you like to meet?

Bill McEllen: In 2022, you will see Fingerpaint refining its position as biopharma’s global commercialization partner. Every company must evolve and grow if it wants to stay successful. Part of that evolution is not just providing solutions to the challenges your customers and people are facing in the present moment, but also anticipating them. By having such a deep pulse on the industry, we can look down the road and plan for what our clients and people might need and develop those solutions.

Med Ad News: Where do you see Fingerpaint 5 years from now?

Bill McEllen: It’s hard to predict what the world will be like 5 years from now, but what I do know is that no matter what, we will continue to be a company rooted in empathy that puts people first. Our best-in-class services will continue to evolve based on the needs of our clients, and we will keep ensuring patients have access to the therapies they need.