Melanie Brunner
Executive Vice President & Head of Client Operations, PR
Ogilvy Health
A Trusted, Strategic Advisor
“Melanie Brunner is the PR person you want on your side,” says Carrie Goldstein, Senior Vice President, Ogilvy Health PR. “The best thing about working with Melanie is that you learn something through every interaction with her—whether that’s how to answer the unasked questions, bring the bigger picture to your thinking, or looking at the audience you are trying to reach in a different way.”
Since her first agency role more than 15 years ago, Melanie has proven to be a force in driving businesses forward through the power of PR, from leading award-winning campaigns such as Bristol Myers Squibb’s “Melanoma Exposed” and “MS in Harmony” to setting and implementing PR strategy for some of the biggest blockbuster franchises in critical therapeutic areas, like oncology and immunology. She has crafted communications around some of the highest-profile data readouts in the industry, advised on dozens of game-changing product launches, raised visibility for C-suite leaders across the health landscape, and helped clients navigate an increasingly complex landscape of emerging challenges.
Melanie’s experience, passion, and drive have enabled her to carve out an increasingly critical role within Ogilvy Health and its parent company WPP more broadly, where she currently supports key business for the network. In this role, not only does she lead the development of PR strategy, but she is responsible for bringing solutions to clients that draw on agency expertise from across the marketing spectrum. In addition to maintaining the business of key clients and consistently demonstrating organic growth for the agency, Melanie has proven invaluable in netting new PR business, helping secure three new client brands in the last six months alone.
Her passion for the work is matched by her dedication to fostering talent in and outside of Ogilvy’s walls. Melanie has co-led the company’s Women’s Leadership Network to encourage and support talent across the agency, launched Ogilvy Health’s “PR University” to grow skills within the practice across levels, and has partnered with the non-profit organization Pencil in its efforts to mentor NYC-based youth and expose them to future career opportunities in the PR and marketing realm.
