Reid Connolly
Global Chief Executive Officer, Evoke

Twice named in PharmaVOICE 100 as one of the most inspiring people in the life sciences, Reid is responsible for driving Evoke's strategic vision and partnering with clients to develop rich, insight-driven strategies that shift brand business. Before founding Evoke, Reid held numerous senior and executive leadership roles with agencies such as Digitas Health, imc2, and Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare. Aside from his accomplishments in business, he is an avid rugby fan and a former player who has represented the United States in Rugby League.

Elaine Ferguson
Global Chief Executive Officer, ApotheCom

Elaine is ApotheCom’s Global CEO. She brings with her more than two decades of health care experience and combines expertise across clinical practice as a psychologist and in research, academia, and industry.

Elaine’s work has been recognized by numerous industry awards, most notably in facilitating partnership programs between industry and thought leaders to provide high-quality and relevant medical education across clinical skills, professional development, and service design. Elaine has also designed programs to support local access to new technologies through collaborations with payers, health care professionals, and industry.

Elaine graduated from St. Andrews University and trained in neuro and health psychology at the Scottish Brain Injury and Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland. She also held psychology undergraduate teaching roles at Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh University. Elaine then went on to be a research psychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry and Maudsley Hospital in London and was a specialist lecturer in cognitive neuroscience at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Maryellen Royle
President, PR & Influence

For over 20 years, Maryellen has partnered with leading global organizations in pharma, biopharma, diagnostics, and consumer health products. As Evoke's PR & Influence President, Maryellen guides our communications teams in interpreting clinical data to effectively reach and impact both professional and consumer audiences. Her teams have been awarded for their ability to build integrated communications programs that fuse knowledge of science and lifestyles. Most recently, Maryellen was named a "Top Woman in PR" by PR News.

Jon Clark
President, Europe

Jon was an early champion of multichannel delivery systems, bridging the gaps between legacy advertising business models and new digital agencies. Drawing on his years of experience in market research and his experience on many successful global, regional, and local campaigns, Jon now works to expand Evoke's services across Europe and around the world. He remains passionate about synthesizing skills and knowledge bases to create tailored solutions for clients across the globe while developing powerful brand stories that resonate with target audiences and inspire behavior change in healthcare.

Michael Ballas
Chief Executive Officer, Axiom

As Axiom’s Global CEO, Michael is responsible for leading Axiom’s learning solutions strategies—namely, the strategic development of state-of-the-art, end-to-end training solutions that focus on prelaunch, launch, and postlaunch sustainability platforms for specialty sales representatives, MSLs, and medical affairs teams—and for leveraging the strength of the comprehensive global Huntsworth Health family for client efficiencies.

Michael has more than 15 years’ experience in pharmaceutical sales, marketing, and training, with a focus on professional development, selling skills, sales leadership, and development in oncology. His training expertise also encompasses cardiology, respiratory, pain, neurology, rare diseases, and dermatology.

He is recognized as a global industry leader and speaker in pharmaceutical/biotech sales training and development. Clients appreciate his client-centric focus, which stems from his background as a leader in the training and development departments of large pharmaceutical companies, among them Novartis Oncology and Merck.

Michael holds two bachelor’s degrees, one in business communications and psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and one in human biology and pre-med from the National University of Health.

Russ Lidstone
Chief Executive Officer, The Creative Engagement Group

Russ is CEO of The Creative Engagement Group (TCEG). Before joining TCEG in early 2016, Russ spent nearly 25 years in marketing communications agencies, as CEO of Havas Worldwide and as strategist at a number of blue chip companies including McCann; BDDH; HHCL & Partners; Lowe; and JWT.

Russ started his career with Coca-Cola and has been featured in Campaign magazine as a “Top 10 CEO” and “Top 10 Strategist.” He has also been voted one of the United Kingdom’s “Inspirational Creative Leaders” and “Media Employer of the Year.”

He is a mentor for the Marketing Academy; an RSA fellow; a lead advisor to UWL; and EMBA entrepreneurial projects evaluator to Oxford Said Business School. A Non-Executive Director of Basketball, England, Russ sadly hung up his playing boots a few years ago.

A Non-Executive Director of Basketball England, Russ sadly hung up his playing boots a few years ago.

Annabelle Sandeman
Chief Commercial Officer, Huntsworth Health

Annabelle is Huntsworth Health’s Chief Commercial Officer. With more than 20 years of expertise in the pharmaceutical arena, Annabelle grew as a member of Huntsworth’s advertising, medical communications and PR agencies. Today, she is one of the key strategic leaders for the group’s integrated marketing communications.

She started her career at Abbott Laboratories in the United Kingdom as a sales representative before moving to the agency side of the business when she joined VB Communications and Jago Pearce (now part of Huntsworth Health). Annabelle plays a pivotal role in our ongoing procurement relationships globally across all our disciplines, where she is involved with relationship management, rate and contract negotiations, leading responses to RFIs and RFPs, and coordinating new business pitches. She also maintains the integrity of our global network and presently supports the development of our Asia Pacific, Middle East and Latin America regional capabilities.

Annabelle has a BSc (Hons) from Edinburgh University, Scotland, in physiology and cardiovascular pharmacology. She also earned her diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), in Berkshire, United Kingdom. Annabelle has her hands full with her two sons Charles and James but manages to hit the ski slopes for a week of skiing every winter.

Kate Mount
Chief Talent Officer, Huntsworth Health

Kate is Huntsworth Health’s Chief Talent Officer. She brings more than 15 years of experience in strategic HR, talent acquisition, organizational development, and talent strategies to the table. Her No. 1 priority is maximizing the potential of the very best talent across all the Huntsworth Health agencies.

Before joining ApotheCom (now part of Huntsworth Health), Kate held positions in Merrill Lynch and the Oxford Clinical Communications (OCC) Group.

Kate earned a BA in English and secondary education from Holy Family University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and her PHR certification from the Human Resource Certification Institute, Villanova University, Philadelphia. Not only is Kate an active member of many groups and organizations, including the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA), and the Council for Public Relations Firms HR Roundtable, she is also an avid triathlete and runner, having raced in places across the globe and completed multiple Ironman distance triathlons.