VML Health Appoints Nadine Leonard as Global Chief Solutions and Innovation Officer

Above (left to right): Nadine Leonard and Claire Gillis

​VML Health has appointed Nadine Leonard as global chief solutions and innovation officer, a newly created role designed to accelerate the development and commercialisation of next‑generation health solutions for the network’s pharma and healthcare clients. Nadine will be responsible for identifying future growth opportunities, incubating new offerings, and developing capabilities that help clients stay ahead of the sector.

Nadine will report to Claire Gillis, CEO VML Health, and will work closely with leaders across VML and WPP to connect health, data, technology, and creativity into integrated solutions for clients.

Nadine joins VML Health from Publicis, where she most recently served as therapeutic area lead for Pfizer’s oncology franchise, managing creative and media agency‑of‑record responsibilities across a portfolio of over 25 global brands. Prior to that, she served as president at Heartbeat, spending close to 16 years at the agency. She brings extensive experience in healthcare marketing and communications, with an outstanding track record of helping both challenger brands and established market leaders rethink how they show up for patients, HCPs and caregivers.

Over the course of her career she has established an EHR/Health IT specialty practice, she expanded her remit to include clinical trials by leading the build of a standalone clinical trial agency capability in the US, and championed value‑based pricing and more cost‑effective creative production models, giving clients high‑quality options that work within increasingly constrained budgets.

Long before her focus on healthcare, Nadine's passion for technology and innovation took root in the earliest days of digital evolution. Cultivated while riding the transformative wave that fundamentally reshaped advertising and marketing, this early experience honed her strategic orientation, leading her to establish the strategy capability at Modem Media, a true pioneer in early digital marketing.

Recognised across the industry for her challenger mindset, commitment to higher standards in health communications, and passion for mentoring the next generation of healthcare marketers, Nadine was inducted into the MM+M Hall of Femme. While President of Heartbeat, she played a pivotal role in cultivating the vibrant culture of an agency that earned 'Best Place to Work' honors for eight consecutive years, a testament to her leadership in fostering an exceptional work environment.

“Health clients are navigating unprecedented change, from scientific breakthroughs and AI‑driven innovation to shifting expectations from patients and HCPs,” Claire Gillis, CEO VML Health. “We created the chief solutions and innovation officer role to make sure we’re not just responding to that change but actively shaping it with our clients. Nadine brings a rare blend of strategic foresight, commercial pragmatism and creative courage. She will be instrumental in turning emerging opportunities into scalable, fit‑for‑purpose solutions that drive growth for our clients and better outcomes for patients.”

“My new role is about finding what’s next, building it quickly, and making sure our teams everywhere have the talent, methods and tools they need to deliver. I’m excited to work with VML and WPP teams to challenge the status quo and create solutions that genuinely move the industry forward,” added Nadine Leonard, global chief solutions and innovation officer, VML Health.

Nadine will also play a key role in cultivating market intelligence and strategic partnerships, spending time in priority growth markets to understand client challenges on the ground and building relationships with technology providers, policy think tanks, startups and specialist collaborators.

This role comes on the back of a number of senior hires and new roles for VML Health in 2025 that focus on growth, innovation, and client support: notably Jason Reese as global chief transformation officer. The network’s innovation agenda is further supported by the broader capabilities of VML and WPP, including access to platform service brands such as MAP, Diff and Satalia, and partnerships with Adobe, Salesforce, Veeva, Google, Microsoft, AWS, Braze, MACH Alliance and others. All providing VML Health with a robust framework for delivering technology‑driven transformation and operational efficiencies for its global health and pharma clients.