Claire Gillis Receives Leadership Award at 2019 Women in Marketing Awards

Claire Gillis, International CEO of WPP Health Practice, has won the first award given by Women in Marketing (WiM) for 'Best Marketing Leader in creating change in Health and Wellness'.

This award fits within a new category, alongside ‘Health and Wellness Public Campaign Award,’ which has been launched by Women in Marketing in reaction to the increasing prominence of healthcare communications and innovation within the advertising sector. 

 

Claire picks up the award after a career in the healthcare industry that spans over three decades, working in the sector as a pharmacologist, a health economist, an entrepreneur and now, as the International CEO WPP Health Practice – managing 1,000 health experts across 10 countries.

 

Ade Onilude, WiM founder, comments: “Claire was selected by our judging panel due to the sheer breadth of her contribution to healthcare coupled with her relentless appetite for change. The impact of her work spans across many international issues focusing on increasing our access to healthcare – leading campaigns that have changed the way we think about treatment and prevention. But we have also seen her impact internally – with her track record in leading projects that have instigated impressive levels of organisational change in the promotion of work-place wellness. She’s got both a fantastic big picture vision as well as an impressive attention to the day to day realities of working in the health sector. I am delighted that the WiM Awards are able to draw a spotlight on the healthcare sector and celebrate great leaders like Claire.”

 

In her acceptance speech, Claire cited how her grandmother had influenced her appreciation of fairness and her continuing quest to increase global access to healthcare.

 

Claire Gillis, WPP Health Practice International CEO, added: “I am honoured to receive this award and feel privileged to have worked in such a fascinating industry where change effectively results in more people having better, healthier lives. You don’t get more meaningful than that. Managing change in the healthcare industry is also a team effort - it requires an extraordinary collection of specialists, doctors, scientists, creatives, PR’s and strategists. So for everyone at WPP Health Practice - this is for you.”

 

Claire’s recognition at the 2019 Women in Marketing Awards not only commends her incredible career but also evidences the fact that healthcare marketing is entering the consciousness of mainstream marketing. Ongoing since 2010, this is the first year that healthcare marketing has received formal recognition with the introduction of two new awards categories: ‘Best Marketing Leader in creating change in Health and Wellness’ and ‘Health and Wellness Public Campaign.

 

Also receiving a commendation for her contribution to a campaign centred around hypoglycemia awareness is Elizabeth Townsend, associate creative director at Sudler London. She collaborated with a team of more than 20 across the UK and South Africa to produce this campaign and directed post production, including film edits and retouching for stills. The campaign’s core objective was to alert HPCs to the risks associated with hypoglycemia.