Bill McEllen Named Global President of Fingerpaint

Bill McEllen Named Global President of Fingerpaint

Fingerpaint founder Ed Mitzen will assume the role of chairman and CEO, Mark Willmann was promoted to lead Fingerpaint Marketing, and Tracy Blackwell was promoted to head of Fingerpaint Marketing’s Cedar Knolls office.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—Fingerpaint, biopharma’s global commercialization partner for analytics-enabled integrated solutions, announced the appointment of Bill McEllen as global president effective immediately.

McEllen, a 30-year industry veteran, will be 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 will serve as Fingerpaint’s chairman and CEO. This move will allow Mitzen to continue focusing on growing the company’s capabilities through acquisitions.

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,” said Mitzen. “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 5 Agency of the Year awards in the last 5 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,” said McEllen, who will report to Mitzen. “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 3 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 7 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,” said McEllen. “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,” said Willmann, who will report 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.

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

“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,” said Blackwell.

About Fingerpaint:

Independent by design and built on a foundation of empathy, Fingerpaint is biopharma’s global commercialization partner for analytics-enabled integrated solutions. At its core is an award-winning global team of more than 700 people who are committed to creating and executing meaningful brand experiences for healthcare providers, care partners, and patients.

Fingerpaint was named 2021 Agency of the Year by Med Ad News, and in 2018, it won the Heart Award from Med Ad News for its commitment to philanthropy and social causes. Additionally, it has been on Inc. Magazine’s list of the 5,000 Fastest-Growing Companies for the past eight years. Visit us at Fingerpaint.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.