Klick Health Heads into 2025 with 22 New Senior Leaders

Graeme Read, Managing Director, APAC

With a passion for life-changing ideas that improve the health of humanity, Read's 37-year career spans the life sciences and health and wellness industries in sales and marketing, advertising and communications, and digital health. He has held senior regional and global positions client and agency-side in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, China, India, and the UK.

Read joins Klick with strong credentials in both the strategic and commercial sides of the business. He has led markets, regions, and disciplines, bringing commercial acumen, senior client relationships, strategic thinking, integrated communications expertise, and deep APAC and EMEA experience.

Fred Hickman, SVP, Group Account Director

Hickman has 18 years of experience in pharmaceutical marketing, working with major pharma companies, as well as clinical-stage companies and biotechs launching their first assets. Previously in senior client service roles at agencies like 21GRAMS and Grey Group, he has worked across a wide range of therapeutic areas (including autoimmune diseases, emergency hospital products, diabetes, medical devices, neurological conditions, and rare diseases) and has the innate ability to simplify business challenges and orchestrate collaboration across teams, with expertise across HCP and consumer marketing. Hickman thrives on brand building, strategic planning, and understanding the buying journey to identify where brands can intersect most appropriately and effectively to drive customer demand.

Jan Franks, VP, Creative Director

With over 20 years of experience in healthcare advertising and a mission to make great healthcare creative possible, Franks has developed a reputation for translating powerful strategic thinking into highly visible creative. Before joining Klick, she served as SVP, Group Creative Director at McCann Health, working on leading brands in cardiovascular, diabetes, renal, and women’s health. Previously, she held copywriting roles at Saatchi Healthcare and Y&R (now VM). Franks’ work has been recognized with Clio Health, The Creative Floor, The One Show, and other awards. She has served on Clio Health juries and has given talks about creativity at industry events, like the DTC National Conference.

David S. Newton, VP, Creative Director

Newton also brings more than two decades of healthcare marketing experience to Klick’s Creative team. A screenwriter and playwright in college, he has brought his love of storytelling to pharma blockbusters and rare disease treatments alike, helping launch both household names and brands that count their patients by the dozen. His career has taken him across ‘Medicine Avenue’ and back, working on a myriad disease states and branded campaigns. Most recently, he spent over 12 years as a senior creative at FCB Health after roles at CDM, Medicus, Gray Worldwide, and The Bloc. Newton is particularly proud to have had one of his commercials parodied by The Tonight Show and to have contributed to a Times Square billboard.

Chuck Pagano, VP, Creative Director

Pagano joins Klick with 15+ years of award-winning healthcare advertising and PR experience, most recently helping run the Haleon business at Weber Shandwick, leading brands like TUMS, Nicorette, and Breathe Right, while also overseeing the creative work for Anheuser-Busch and Mondelez. Previously, he helped launch and lead health and life sciences specialty shop Team Life JWT, creating groundbreaking work for Coppertone, Lotrimin, and Berocca, among other brands. He’s held past creative roles at other agencies, including TBWA\Chiat\Day, Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB, McCann, and Hill Holliday. Pagano claims he’s been lucky enough to have his work recognized by all the awards shows that matter…and quite a few that don’t. (But don’t tell him that.) He also serves as an adjunct professor at Montclair State University, where he teaches Brand Storytelling and Copywriting to the next generation of creatives.

Samantha Ha, Creative Director, APAC

Ha joins Klick’s Singapore team with over 13 years of experience as a copy-based creative. She has held senior copywriter roles at several Singapore agencies, including Mediabrands Content Studio, MRM, Tag, and Grey Group Singapore. Through the years, she has worked across industry sectors that include automotive, CPG, health, and hospitality, having contributed to global and regional accounts for top-tier brands like, Disney, FrieslandCampina, Honda, P&G, Starbucks, and Unilever. Ha started her career as a copywriter in the Philippines.

“I feel very fortunate at this stage in my career to focus on creative work that is also fulfilling,” said Ha. “The more I’ve learned about Klick’s culture, tools, and capabilities, the more thrilled I’ve become — not to just create outstanding work, but to make a difference in people’s lives while I’m at it.”

Chris Bannan, VP, Media Strategy & Planning

With almost two decades of digital marketing expertise, both on the agency and client side, Bannan has led and mentored teams of high-performing, collaborative marketers and planners and is dedicated to driving customer centricity and delivering measurable business outcomes. He started his career hand-coding websites in 2004 before expanding into SEO, paid search, analytics, programmatic, and other media. At AstraZeneca, he led a team of in-house digital channel experts, collaborating with media agencies to architect a successful pilot of an innovative media approach for the cardiovascular, renal, and diabetes business units. The effort drove a positive ROI and was recognized with an internal transformation award. Bannan has also held key media roles at digital agencies within global media holding companies (Publicis, Omnicom, WPP), as well as independent shops.

Brian Brophy, VP, Media Strategy & Planning

Brophy brings a passion for working at the intersection of audience insights, commercialization strategy, and the ever-evolving media publisher and tech landscape. His 15 years of experience includes senior roles with Real Chemistry (most recently as Senior Group Director, Integrated Media) and Publicis Health Media, where he led strategic media planning and activation for a wide range of pharma and consumer health clients, including Amazon Health, Dexcom, and Galderma. 

"Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to partner with dozens of life sciences agencies, and Klick has always stood out. I've found the work they do to be exceptional, driven by really thoughtful people who have been a pleasure to partner with. I couldn’t be more excited and proud to join the Media team at Klick."

Erica Gusler, VP, Media Strategy & Planning 

Gusler returns to Klick's growing Media practice with her 11+-year background in healthcare media. She most recently served as VP, Media at Avalere Health with a focus on delivering meaningful patient and HCP experiences on behalf of her clients. Prior, Gusler spent over three years at Klick, most of that time as Director of Media Strategy & Planning. In addition to her work on helping launch and support blockbuster drugs, she has led client campaigns across therapeutic areas that include neurology, oncology, and rare diseases.

"As a returning Klickster, I can vouch that there truly is something different here,” Gusler stated. “Every craft is best-in-class. The level of expertise at Klick allows us to deliver better business outcomes for clients and more impactful interactions between patients and brands. I am really energized about being able to contribute to that again through Klick’s strategic Media offering!"

Brian Raineri, PharmD, EVP, Medical Communications Business Strategy 

A pharmacist by training with over 25 years of healthcare communications experience, Raineri has worked across all facets of the healthcare communications industry — including advertising and medical communications — as a medical strategist, account lead, and managing director. His true passion lies in medical communications, particularly in the commercial medical communications space. He joins Klick after an 18-year tenure at IPG, where he spent the last eight years as Co-Managing Director of the Trio office. Known for his ability to partner with clients and cross-functional stakeholders to elevate medical communications, Raineri has a proven track record of building high-performing teams and fostering a culture that inspires both innovation and growth.

Robert Groebel, SVP, Strategic Stakeholder Engagement

Groebel joins Klick’s thriving medical team with over 25 years of experience in healthcare innovation and strategy, defined by a deep commitment to advancing healthcare engagement, digital transformation, and data-driven decision-making. A recognized leader in driving transformative solutions, he has held pivotal positions, including Global VP of Medical Affairs Strategy at Veeva Systems, as well as global leadership roles at Boehringer Ingelheim and Shire. Over the years, Groebel has led efforts to optimize commercial and medical strategies across a wide range of therapeutic areas, including immunology, neurology, oncology, and rare diseases.

Steven Candela, PhD, VP, Scientific Strategy

Dr. Candela joins Klick after more than two decades working across the pharmaceutical industry in CR&D, medical affairs, scientific communications, and advertising. Besides running his own “virtual agency” for years, he has held senior management positions at agencies, like Health and Wellness Partners and 21GRAMs, consistently delivering valued scientific analysis and sophisticated educational, promotional, and clinical strategies. Candela has specialized in neurology, oncology, and psychiatry throughout his career, but is well-versed in multiple therapeutic areas and has led a wide range of disease state and therapy-related projects supporting compounds in early clinical development, high-profile launch brands, and established products. He holds a PhD in psychology from Harvard University, and was named a 2022 Elite Master Educator by PM360 magazine.

Quentin O’Brien, MPH, VP, Scientific Strategy, Medical Communications & Innovation

A 2024 MM+M 40 Under 40 honoree with nearly a decade of experience in medical communications, O’Brien takes on a new role within Klick’s Medical Communications & Innovation team, leveraging both her in-house medical affairs expertise and agency background working across a wide variety of therapeutic areas, including immunology, neurology, psychiatry, and rare disease. Previously, O’Brien served as VP, Scientific Director at Health and Wellness Partners, as well as Scientific Communications Manager and Medical Science Liaison at pharmaceutical companies like Mallinckrodt and Orexo. Additionally, her clinical knowledge as an EMT and her lived experience as a rare disease patient and advocate give her a unique point of view that she uses to elevate medical communications for all of her clients.

Amanda Kleinberg, SVP, Strategy

Kleinberg joins Klick’s Strategy team with a special focus on integrating an earned-first perspective to the brand experience. An accomplished award-winning communications, corporate reputation, and advertising professional, she spent the last 12 years in senior strategy and planning roles at Weber Shandwick and Edelman — supporting a diverse range of clients by creating work that drives business, builds brands, grows reputation, fights stigmas, compels action, and sparks conversation. Kleinberg has worked extensively in mental health, rare diseases, women’s health, and health areas that have a disproportional impact on LGBTQ+ and Black communities.

Stephen Troncoso, SVP, Strategy

Troncoso brings to Klick 15 years of experience in marketing and advertising, with an excellent reputation for leading strategy for clients with expertise addressing a range of healthcare challenges. Focused on commercial planning, brand development, omnichannel experience, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies, previously he served as VP, Strategy at VML and led the strategy team at Wunderman Thompson’s DC office. He is passionate about driving innovative strategies that make meaningful differences in the lives of patients and achieve transformative growth for client partners.  

Elizabeth Chambers, VP, Group Director, Strategy, EMEA

Chambers joins Klick with nearly 20 years of proven industry experience working with 80 percent of top pharma companies and providing strategic counsel in support of transforming their brands. She was previously Healthcare Strategist at independent creative agency woolleypau, as well as a public governor for her local hospital’s NHS Foundation trust. She began her career as a cell biologist specializing in cancer and epigenetics. She also spent over 13 years at Langland, where she served in a number of roles, including Director of Planning and Global Business Partner. With expertise spanning a wide range of therapeutic areas (including cardiovascular, infectious disease, neurology, oncology, rare diseases, and transplant), Chambers has helped shape numerous creative and effectiveness award-winning campaigns, focusing on pre-launch disease engagement through to end-of-lifecycle and portfolio management.

Cara Lane, VP, Group Director, Strategy

Lane has spent over a decade helping shape how regulated industries approach social media, most recently in senior social strategy roles at H4B Chelsea and FCB Health for the last eight years. With a proven ability to craft game-changing strategies that meet the dual demands of compliance and authentic communication, she has led industry-leading campaigns, which have been recognized for turning complex insights and analytics into actionable audience-focused results. Lane’s work addresses both consumer and professional audiences, spanning a wide range of therapeutic areas, including infectious diseases, oncology, and rare diseases.

"Klick has always stood out to me as a place that isn’t afraid to tackle hard problems or reimagine how things are done,” Lane stated. “I’m thrilled to join a team that thrives on innovation and delivers work with purpose."

Dhillon Singh, VP, Group Director, Strategy, APAC 

Singh joins Klick’s Singapore office with over 15 years of experience in marketing, digital business models, and customer experience. He spent the last five years at HMI Medical, most recently as Vice President of Digital Experience & Strategy, where he helped shape patient experience for the digital world and harmonize patient journeys and touchpoints across the group’s provider facilities. He has also held prior strategy and creative roles at Saatchi & Saatchi, MRM//McCann, and Publicis Sapient, where he contributed to delivering best-in-class customer experiences and award-winning creative work that’s been recognized by Clio Health, Cannes Lions Health, Spikes, and the Effies.

Stephanie Jogakumar, VP, Strategy, EMEA

With a background in life sciences and a Masters in Science Communication, Jogakumar brings over a decade of experience in healthcare communications and strategy to Klick. She joins from ZS in London, where, as a Senior Strategic Planning Lead, she helped realize business strategies with cross-functional teams through creativity and innovation. She also held planning roles at McCann Health Singapore and Ogilvy Health London where she drove regional and global strategies across various therapeutic areas.

“In an industry that needs to be human-centered but often gets mired in data and technicalities, the magic happens when we uncover the human stories behind the numbers — stories that inspire action,” she said. “That’s what drew me to Klick — their creativity solving healthcare challenges perfectly aligns with my vision and I’m excited to champion this forward with our expanding global team.”

George Carino, EVP, Growth

Carino joins Klick after spending 23 years at Publicis Groupe’s Epsilon Health, most recently as SVP, Business Development. A highly accomplished results-oriented healthcare executive, Carino has a seasoned background in delivering innovative strategies that simplify operations, improve customer access, and transform enterprise capabilities. He has almost three decades of experience in sales management, sales team development, strategic partnerships, integrated marketing, strategy, analytics, and AI.

“I was drawn to the Klick team’s enthusiasm and professionalism,” Carino commented. “That, coupled with Klick’s passion for innovation, and their ability to lean into AI and other technologies to craft engaging experiences that improve the quality of people’s lives, is a great fit.”

Eric Daly, EVP, Growth

Daly returns to Klick as EVP, Growth to focus on building and deepening Klick’s commercialization partnerships with life sciences clients after spending over three years as Chief Growth Officer at Inizio Evoke. With almost 25 years of healthcare marketing experience, he brings a breadth of insights on adding significant value to brands, franchises, and businesses by driving accelerated business outcomes. His background spans both agency and client-side, having also served as an omnichannel leader on the launch of Opdivo at Bristol Myers Squibb. 

“I’ve rejoined Klick for many reasons, but number one is the people,” Daly said. “A close second is Klick’s commitment to our clients to deliver truly exceptional experiences and build brands that grow year over year by continuously investing in innovation and ensuring our clients can rest assured their businesses are creating benchmarks for their markets.”

Nikki Muntz, EVP, Growth

A seasoned growth leader, Muntz brings over 20 years of marketing expertise to Klick. She is passionate about helping clients find innovative solutions to their business challenges by partnering them with the best and brightest people and capabilities across the company. Before joining Klick, Muntz held senior-level positions, most recently leading global business development for Publicis Health for seven years. Previously on the client side, she “carried the bag” and held several medical education, training, and marketing positions at Merck.

According to Muntz, “I always admired Klick from afar and can now say without a doubt that Klick really is different! There is a shared commitment to exceeding client expectations, pushing the envelope, and delivering overall awesomeness. I am so proud to be a Klickster and join this group of exceptionally bright, enthusiastic, and authentic people who are a joy to work with.”