Kristin Ficks Ainsworth
Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Communications
TESARO
Shaping Oncology Communication
Kristin Ainsworth’s career is characterized by progress and perseverance, underscored by her ability to leverage her extensive oncology expertise on both the client and agency sides.
Kristin has been with oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company TESARO, Inc., for five years, currently serving as Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Communications. She helps make the decisions that shape the company’s future and is a critical decision maker on how best to communicate that information. The recent acquisition of TESARO by GSK is a highlight for her career as she continues to play an important role in the transition for both companies.
An HBA Luminary and Hall of Femme award-winner, Kristin has been described as a visionary, strategist, and tactician. She consistently brings bold, innovative business strategies that have proven results and deliver on profitability targets. Her vision and leadership have contributed to major business impacts throughout her career. Kristin’s customer-centric focus on insight-driven marketing has led to efforts focused on changing people’s lives.
At TESARO, Kristin has led development and successful execution of commercial and launch strategies for VARUBI and ZEJULA. Her programs helped drive utilization of both brands to own the coveted #1 market share spot in each class. Kristin also developed and drove brand PR and marketing communications initiatives to enhance awareness of disease states and unmet needs, including the award-winning* “Just Be” campaign, designed to enhance prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (*2016 Silver Communicator Award of Distinction and seven 2017 Davey Awards).
Most recently, Kristin and her team built the “Not On My Watch” program, a movement that seeks to empower women with ovarian cancer who have had a recurrence(s) and responded to chemotherapy to no longer “watch and wait” for their disease to return. With the help of celebrities Cobie Smulders and Scott Foley, the groundbreaking campaign launched in October 2018 with great success—driving awareness, engagement, and pass along, exceeding projections.
Kristin is truly a patient champion who serves as a tireless advocate, putting them at the center of everything she does. A founding board member of two cancer patient/caregiver organizations, frequent volunteer, and cancer caregiver herself, Kristin epitomizes true “patient centricity.”
